Cautious funds beat All-Share

Funds in the Autif cautious managed sector have proven better able to preserve investor's capital over the past year than most funds with an equity component. Autif requires funds in the sector to limit equity exposure to 60% of holdings, with at least 50% in sterling or euro assets. On average, funds in the sector have fallen by 3.04% over the 12 months to the end of November, versus a 17.46% drop by the FTSE All-Share over the calendar year to 21 December. The £3.2bn Axa Distribution fund, managed by Jim Stride, is the largest in the sector. It has posted growth of 7.45% over the t...