Fund houses slammed for spate of 'fad' launches

Of the 122 funds launched since June 30 2007, just 14pc have provided investors with a positive return (Lipper figures over one year). The launches include property funds as well as funds aiming to capitalise on growth in the Asia Pacific region. The worst performing fund, launched in December last year, is the Neptune Asia Pacific Opportunities fund, with a negative return of 27.2pc (as at July 27, 2008). Another poor performer in the Asian region has been the Schroder Asian Alpha Plus fund, which made a negative return of 17.5pc (as at July 28, 2008). It is notable that both companies ...