Rory Campbell-Lamerton: Capital preservation is key to absolute return

As this year has proved

clock • 4 min read

Absolute return funds have been cast into the spotlight again with recent news that sentiment for the asset class has taken a turn and some funds have experienced a surge in outflows, writes Rory Campbell-Lamerton.

There are two points to make here - first, that this so-called ‘surge' appears to be limited to a few larger funds and, second, any asset class that has enjoyed a good run of popularity - topping net inflow charts for five years in a row in the case of Targeted Absolute Return - is likely to be toppled eventually. To take a view on a sector based on an average of overall performance or sentiment towards it, however, is to not see the trees for the wood. The Targeted Absolute Return sector is complex and often misunderstood - for example, the 50 largest funds in the sector follow in the r...

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