Jonathan Golan’s Man GLG Sterling Corporate Bond fund was one of the five strategies to be awarded with an Elite rating by Fundcalibre in its latest roundup, with the report describing manager Jonathan Golan (pictured) as “one of the most exciting bond fund managers around”.
The £364m fund launched in September 2021, and was the only fixed-income strategy to be awarded the full Elite rating this time around. It has considerably outperformed the IA Sterling Corporate Bond index since inception, returning 5.4% over the last six months.
Juliet Schooling Latter, a research director at Fundcalibre, said that Golan (pictured) often finds many of his best ideas off the beaten path, and is not afraid to invest in small and medium-sized issuers.
JPM Global Equity Income, managed by Sam Witherow and JP Morgan veteran Helge Skibeli, also earned an Elite rating, alongside the LF Lightman European fund, which has been first quartile since it launched in March 2019.
“This is now one of only a few funds left with a genuine ‘value’ style,” said Schooling Latter.
She continued: “Performance has been excellent since its launch four years ago, but it is the sort of fund which is likely to either be at the top or the bottom of the performance charts in any one year, depending on whether or not its style is in or out of favour. For investors who can stomach the potential volatility, this could be a great option, especially if they are looking to balance out their style exposure elsewhere within their portfolio.”
The £456m Axa Framlington Biotech fund also achieved the Elite rating, alongside Pictet’s Japanese Equity Selection strategy.
Two further funds, TB Amati Strategic Metals and Artemis Global High Yield Bond, received the Elite Radar badge. This award is reserved for funds that may have too short a track record to be considered for the full Elite Rating, but which are potential candidates for the future.
Schooling Latter said that the Amati strategy was a great portfolio diversifier, tapping into unique investment opportunities, adding that the Artemis fund, which is managed by David Ennett and Jack Holmes, has one of the strongest teams in the asset class.
“Their approach of focusing on the smaller and medium players has allowed them to consistently find hidden gems with a strong upside, helping them to outperform,” she added.
