Opportunities ahead in company debt: Jupiter

In the five years to 31 March 2012, the Morningstar gold-rated portfolio has grown 22.1 per cent and is ranked in the first quartile of the Mixed Investment 20 to 60 per cent shares sector, according to the latest factsheet.

Mr Chatfeild-Roberts said although yields on government bonds in developed markets have remained low, there could be exciting opportunities ahead in higher-yielding company debt and some emerging market sovereign bonds.

He said: “We especially favour emerging market bonds issued in dollars, the world’s ‘safe haven’ reserve currency. These are becoming scarcer as developing nations offer more bonds in national currencies.”

Adding a caveat, he said: “Nothing goes up in a straight line and markets in 2012 will be no different. It is at points such as these that we take comfort from our investment discipline, investing in talented managers who seek to invest in quality companies for the long term.”

The top 10 IFA sales by sector through FundsNetwork were dominated by income funds, but multi-manager and multi-asset funds topped the list, with the Mixed Investment 20-60 per cent Shares sector ranking first.

Klare Baldwin, head of marketing for FundsNetwork, said: “Income continues to dominate, much as it has for the past 18 months or so, with the green shoots of growth still in the early stages of emergence.”