Iboss Asset Management managing director Chris Metcalfe has enjoyed swapping face time with his colleagues for more time with his dog during lockdown and is heading into 2021 with an overweight to UK domestics.
What have been your top and worst-performing fund picks during the year?
The best performing has been Baillie Gifford European at 37.68%, year to date. The worst has been JOHCM UK Dynamic, with a 20.89% loss.
What are your biggest over and underweights as vaccine news points towards a return to normality?
Our largest overweight is to UK domestic, for example Polar Capital UK Value Opps. We are underweight US equities.
Best asset manager webinar of the year?
I’d flag up the Fidelity Asia Conference. It was held for 45 minutes a day for five days and had a wide range of speakers from multiple countries. There was great content and no Zoom fatigue due to length.
What parts of the lockdown have made your job easier?
Spending less time with colleagues face-to-face.
And what parts of the lockdown have made your job more challenging?
Spending time with my colleagues in a virtual world and feeling like I live in their houses.
What would be your ideal lockdown Christmas present?
Sunshine so I can go for walks with my Westie (Pip).
How are you altering your Christmas plans in light of the pandemic?
Fortunately, I am not altering them at all – still spending Christmas with my wife and Pip.
What has been your most memorable Zoom moment of the year?
It was very recently actually, on Tuesday 1 December, and in front of one of our largest audiences all year for our sustainable investing webinar. At the very moment I went live and started talking, the postman arrived at the office and my dog started barking, crying and scratching at the door. He certainly stole the show.
Chris Metcalfe is investment and managing director at Iboss Asset Management
