Focus funds inconsistent

radar alert: european focus funds

Of three European focus funds approaching three-year anniversaries, all have struggled to maintain strong performance

Of several European Focus funds launched in 2001 and 2002, three have now reached or are fast approaching their three-year anniversaries. However, performance across the various vehicles since their launches has been inconsistent. According to Standard & Poor's, the £35m F&C European Prime fund has returned 13.94% over the three years to 8 November 2004, bid to bid, against a Europe ex-UK sector average of 9.76%, ranking it 20 out of 87 funds. Launched on 1 October 2001, the S&P AA-rated fund has languished at the bottom of the table over shorter timescales, ranking 98 out of 100 over th...