20 funds that suffered in the first half of 2012

Resources funds are among the largest losers of the year so far as sharp falls in the price of oil and other commodities took their toll.

The price of a barrel of crude oil has crept up again since the start of July, but the impact of the second quarter sell-off is still being felt: a barrel of Brent crude current trades at $105, down from a 2012 peak of $125 a barrel in late March. The fall in prices which saw Brent reach a 18-month low of $90.62 at the end of June also furthered the fall in other commodities, making for a miserable six months for a lot of resources funds. With bullion selling off from a February high of $1,780 to trade at under $1,600 by the end of June, gold funds have also struggled this year. As...