Country specifics remain an influence in the single market

Stock picking may well be the investment style of choice but there are fund groups that still reckon country allocation has its part to play. Fidelity is a case in point. John Ross, senior strategist, says: "Broker research is dominated by a pan-European sector rather than a country approach. However, recent political and economic events, coupled with the performance of our country funds, have caused us to believe that investors may be able to add incremental value to their European portfolios by taking country-specific bets." As an example Fidelity points to Germany, one of the largest...