Agile funds benefit from bear market

A handful of UK equity income funds have demonstrated the art of informed stockpicking within a protracted bear market. Only nine funds in the sector made a positive return over the three years to the end of January, posting bid-to-bid gains of 1.89% to 16.43%. Another 64 posted negative returns, ranging from -0.6% to -74.51%, bid to bid. Rathbone Income is one fund that has delivered good returns in depressed conditions by deploying a more stock-specific strategy. Of 73 UK equity income funds, only Credit Suisse's income retail and monthly income funds outperformed the Rathb...