Artemis fund manager Stephen Snowden and Nomura’s Dickie Hodges are among a raft of fund managers to receive Elite Ratings from Fundcalibre.
In total, nine funds have landed the Elite Rating, including Baillie Gifford Japanese Income Growth, which upon passing its three-year track record has graduated from holding the Elite Radar badge, for young funds, to a full Elite Rating.
Despite only launching in October, the Artemis Corporate Bond fund has already been handed an Elite Rating. Snowden (pictured), who defected from Kames to Artemis in late 2018 along with his team, raked in £81.6m at launch. It has since grown to £119.42m.
Fundcalibre only grants Elite Ratings to new funds in exceptional circumstances, such as when a whole team moves and launches a fund to be run in the same way as their previous fund was run. In the past, Investec UK Alpha landed an Elite Rating when Simon Brazier and his team joined from Columbia Threadneedle, while Jason Pidcock kept his when he launched a similar strategy at Jupiter to what he had run at Newton.
Meanwhile, the Nomura Global Dynamic Bond fund, run by “charismatic” Hodges, is the only other fixed income fund recognised in the latest round of Elite Rating awards.
In the UK equities space, Fundcalibre handed ratings to Axa Framlington UK Mid Cap, managed by Chris St John, and Amati UK Smaller Companies, which is run by Paul Jourdan, Anna Macdonald and David Stevenson.
T Rowe Price was the only asset manager to land two Elite Ratings in the latest round. They were given to its Asian Opportunities Equity and Continental European Equity funds. Also in Europe, the Montanaro European Income fund landed an Elite Rating.
Close Managed Income was the only multi-asset fund in the mix, which Fundcalibre touted for its strong focus on preservation of capital alongside income generation.
While Fundcalibre handed out a raft of Elite Ratings to funds or teams with long track records, the Investec Global Environment fund, managed by Deirdre Cooper and Graeme Baker, was the only fund to be granted the Elite Radar badge.
Fundcalibre described its proprietary screen, which builds a universe of stocks focused on the global transition to a low-carbon economy, as “impressively comprehensive”.
Pictet Global Environmental Opportunities and BMO Responsible Global Equities are among the existing sustainable global equity funds that have an Elite Rating. Across asset classes, nine sustainable funds hold an Elite Rating.
