Pictet Timber fund rides recovery in US housing market

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Pictet's timber fund has emerged as a clear winner in recent years thanks to the resurgence of the US housing market, but can it continue to produce the goods?

As signs of a recovery in the housing sector emerge in the US, the prospects for investment funds linked to housing growth have become increasingly appealing. In October, new home start-ups in the US increased at the fastest pace since 2008, data from the Commerce Department has shown. The £275m Pictet Timber fund, co-managed by Gabriel Micheli and Christoph Butz, investment managers in Pictet Asset Management’s sector and themes team, stands out as a UK retail fund offering focused exposure to forestry. The asset management subsidiary of Swiss bank Pictet & Cie also runs eight oth...