UK investment trusts double initial capital

The table below shows performance for the top five UK investment trusts based on a three-year performance in the UK Growth, UK Growth & Income, UK High Income and UK Smaller Companies sectors as at 8 July 2013.

Despite the impressive returns of the top performers, the difference between the top and bottom trusts is stark. The worst over the same period was the Henderson Opps 2013 subs trust (issued on 23 January 2007 and expiring on 15 February 2014) which returned just £416 over three years. Damille Investments, a Guernsey domiciled closed-ended fund, returned £523.

At the other end of the scale, the Perpetual Income and Growth 2013 Subs trust, managed by Invesco Asset Management, returned a staggering £5,693 over the three-year period to 8 July 2013. It should be noted subscription shares – such as the Henderson and Invesco trusts – carry a much higher risk than ordinary shares and increased volatility.

Acorn Income fund returned £2,688 over three years based on an initial investment with Standard Life’s UK Smaller Companies trust following at £2,277.

In this month’s cover feature, Money Management spoke to managers and analysts about whether the UK has returned to full strength after nearly five years of austerity. The research shows that based on an initial £1,000 investment, the top 10 funds from fixed income, equity, mixed assets and investment trusts all returned above average.