80-20 Investor Best of the Best Selection – April 2025 Update

Commentary

The BOTB outperformed its benchmarks helped by its Chinese and European equity exposure as well as a focus on global equity income funds over growth alternatives. However, despite this, of the 30 funds in March's BOTB selection only 15 funds retained their place in April. This is the smallest number for a long time, which demonstrates just how much market sentiment shifted in March.

Digging deeper into the performance of the funds within the BOTB during March, the table below highlights the top performers. The standout performers were Chinese equity funds, which continue to ride investor enthusiasm for Chinese AI stocks. Elsewhere European equities continued to outperform US equities, while equity funds with a defensive bias also performed well on a relative basis versus their peers. In what was a tough month for equity markets it's not surprising to see bond funds among the top performers. It's also good to see that two of the top funds (Artemis Global Income and Jupiter China) are in my £50k portfolio.

Fund	March 2025 % return
Artemis SmartGARP European Equity	4.7
Jupiter China	1.63
Barings German Growth Trust	1.56
Man Sterling Corporate Bond Fund	-0.15
Man High Yield Opportunities Fund	-0.43
Artemis Global Income	-0.49

At the other end of the scale you can see that there were some significant falls for those funds with exposure to US tech stocks. T. Rowe Price US Large Cap Growth is in my own 50k portfolio (although I reduced my exposure to it in my last portfolio review) and had another poor month and has lost its spot in the BOTB and BFBS tables.

Fund	March 2025 % return
Vanguard FTSE Developed World ex-UK Equity Index	-6.73
Artemis UK Select	-7.25
Vanguard US Equity Index	-8.25
Fidelity American	-8.77
T. Rowe Price US Large Cap Growth Equity	-10.59

In terms of April's asset mix, there has been a significant change with the exposure to US equities being radically cut, from 26% to just 11%. European equities are now the largest component of the equity portion of the BOTB closely followed by UK equities. Elsewhere Japanese equities and commodities have made a reappearance in the BOTB, with the latter receiving a boost from the weaker US dollar.

Below I list this month's selection in full with the 15 funds that regained their place in black while the new additions are in green. As usual, I have included the full list sorted alphabetically by name and then by risk category.

April's Best of the Best Selection - (A-Z by fund name)

(funds unchanged from last month are in black while new additions are in green):

Name	Sector	ISIN Code	Risk
Artemis Global Income	Global Equity Income	GB00B5N99561	Medium risk
Artemis Income	UK Equity Income	GB00B2PLJJ36	Medium risk
Artemis SmartGARP European Equity	Europe Excluding UK	GB00B2PLJD73	Medium risk
Artemis SmartGARP UK Equity	UK All Companies	GB00B2PLJM64	Medium risk
Baillie Gifford China	China/Greater China	GB00B39RML74	Higher risk
Barclays UK Equity Income	UK Equity Income	GB00B44VWM29	Medium risk
Barings German Growth Trust	Specialist	GB0000822576	Higher risk
BNY Mellon US Equity Income	North America	GB00BGV53H32	Higher risk
CT Emerging Market Bond	Global EM Bonds - Blended	GB0002365608	Lower risk
CT High Yield Bond	Sterling High Yield	GB0008371014	Lower risk
Fidelity Responsible Global Equity Income	Global Equity Income	GB00BPGC5764	Medium risk
Invesco Asian (UK)	Asia Pacific Excluding Japan	GB00B1W7HW60	Higher risk
Invesco High Yield (UK)	Sterling High Yield	GB00B3RW7649	Lower risk
Jupiter China	China/Greater China	GB00B1DTDX49	Higher risk
Jupiter Merian Global Equity	Global	GB00B1XG8F22	Higher risk
L&G European Equity Income	Europe Excluding UK	GB00BF18C898	Medium risk
Man High Yield Opportunities Fund	Sterling High Yield	GB00BJK3W057	Lower risk
Man Japan Core Alpha	Japan	GB00B0119B50	Medium risk
Man Sterling Corporate Bond Fund	Sterling Corporate Bond	GB00BNLYQX62	Lower risk
Ninety One Global Franchise	Global	GB00B7VHRM91	Higher risk
Premier Miton Global Infrastructure Income	Infrastructure	GB00BD3H9L21	Higher risk
Premier Miton Multi-Asset Absolute Return	Targeted Absolute Return	GB00B5PXJK10	Lower risk
Premier Miton Strategic Monthly Income Bond	Sterling Strategic Bond	GB00BMWVS110	Lower risk
Premier Miton Tellworth UK Select	Targeted Absolute Return	GB00BNY7YM73	Lower risk
Royal London Short Duration Credit	Sterling Strategic Bond	GB00BJ4KW800	Lower risk
Schroder European Alpha Plus	Europe Excluding UK	GB00B7LDKR32	Higher risk
Schroder High Yield Opportunities	Sterling High Yield	GB00B83RDY83	Lower risk
Troy Asset Management Ltd Trojan Ethical	Flexible Investment	GB00BKTW4R13	Medium risk
WS Guinness Global Energy	Commodity/Natural Resources	GB00B56FW078	Higher risk
WS Morant Wright Nippon Yield	Japan	GB00B42MKS95	Medium risk

April's Best of the Best Selection - (grouped by risk)

(funds unchanged from last month are in black while new additions are in green):

Name	Sector	ISIN Code	Risk
CT Emerging Market Bond	Global EM Bonds - Blended	GB0002365608	Lower risk
CT High Yield Bond	Sterling High Yield	GB0008371014	Lower risk
Invesco High Yield (UK)	Sterling High Yield	GB00B3RW7649	Lower risk
Man High Yield Opportunities Fund	Sterling High Yield	GB00BJK3W057	Lower risk
Man Sterling Corporate Bond Fund	Sterling Corporate Bond	GB00BNLYQX62	Lower risk
Premier Miton Multi-Asset Absolute Return	Targeted Absolute Return	GB00B5PXJK10	Lower risk
Premier Miton Strategic Monthly Income Bond	Sterling Strategic Bond	GB00BMWVS110	Lower risk
Premier Miton Tellworth UK Select	Targeted Absolute Return	GB00BNY7YM73	Lower risk
Royal London Short Duration Credit	Sterling Strategic Bond	GB00BJ4KW800	Lower risk
Schroder High Yield Opportunities	Sterling High Yield	GB00B83RDY83	Lower risk
Artemis Global Income	Global Equity Income	GB00B5N99561	Medium risk
Artemis Income	UK Equity Income	GB00B2PLJJ36	Medium risk
Artemis SmartGARP European Equity	Europe Excluding UK	GB00B2PLJD73	Medium risk
Artemis SmartGARP UK Equity	UK All Companies	GB00B2PLJM64	Medium risk
Barclays UK Equity Income	UK Equity Income	GB00B44VWM29	Medium risk
Fidelity Responsible Global Equity Income	Global Equity Income	GB00BPGC5764	Medium risk
L&G European Equity Income	Europe Excluding UK	GB00BF18C898	Medium risk
Man Japan Core Alpha	Japan	GB00B0119B50	Medium risk
Troy Asset Management Ltd Trojan Ethical	Flexible Investment	GB00BKTW4R13	Medium risk
WS Morant Wright Nippon Yield	Japan	GB00B42MKS95	Medium risk
Baillie Gifford China	China/Greater China	GB00B39RML74	Higher risk
Barings German Growth Trust	Specialist	GB0000822576	Higher risk
BNY Mellon US Equity Income	North America	GB00BGV53H32	Higher risk
Invesco Asian (UK)	Asia Pacific Excluding Japan	GB00B1W7HW60	Higher risk
Jupiter China	China/Greater China	GB00B1DTDX49	Higher risk
Jupiter Merian Global Equity	Global	GB00B1XG8F22	Higher risk
Ninety One Global Franchise	Global	GB00B7VHRM91	Higher risk
Premier Miton Global Infrastructure Income	Infrastructure	GB00BD3H9L21	Higher risk
Schroder European Alpha Plus	Europe Excluding UK	GB00B7LDKR32	Higher risk
WS Guinness Global Energy	Commodity/Natural Resources	GB00B56FW078	Higher risk

The funds that dropped out of the Best of the Best Selection

For reference, the funds from last month that dropped out of the 80-20 Investor Best of the Best list are listed below:

The Asset mix

The current asset mix of the new Best of the Best Selection is shown below with last month's figures in brackets:

• Global Fixed Interest 23% (22%)
• UK Fixed Interest 3% (4%)
• Alternatives 5% (7%) - includes absolute return strategies
• North American Equities 11% (26%)
• Emerging Market Equities 0% (3%)
• Asian Equities 4% (4%)
• European Equities 15% (8%)
• Japanese Equities 7% (1%)
• UK Equities 14% (13%)
• Cash 3% (2%)
• China Equities 6% (6%)
• Property Equities 0% (0%)
• Other International Equities 5% (4%)
• Commodities and Energy 4% (0%)

80-20 Investor's outperformance continues

As you know the Best of the Best Selection is the shortlist of the best funds highlighted by our 80-20 Investor algorithm split into high, medium and low-risk categories. This shortlist is updated at the start of every month.

The green line in the chart below (click to enlarge) shows how a portfolio would have performed since inception (in August 2014) if it had been split equally between the Best of the Best Selection funds and then switched each month when each new shortlist was published. I have also charted the performance against that of the average cautious managed fund (blue line) and the average managed fund with up to 85% equity exposure (red line). In reality, the 80-20 Investor's asset allocation typically lies between these two as it usually has 40-60% exposure to equities at any one time. So they provide a good comparison of how fund managers with a similar remit have fared over the same period.

As you can see, since launch in August 2014 the 80-20 Investor BOTB has outperformed the average managed fund and the market.

 

 

All performance figures are net of fund charges. The material in any email, the MoneytotheMasses.com website, associated pages / channels / accounts and any other correspondence are for general information only and do not constitute investment, tax, legal or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation. See full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Disclaimer.

Neither MoneytotheMasses.com or 80-20 Investor nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Funds invest in shares, bonds, and other financial instruments and are by their nature speculative and can be volatile. You should never invest more than you can safely afford to lose. The value of your investment can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you originally invested. Tax rules can change and benefits depend on individual circumstances.
Information provided by MoneytotheMasses.com or 80-20 Investor is for general information only and not intended to be relied upon by readers in making (or not making) specific investment decisions.
Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decisions. Leadenhall Learning (owner of MoneytotheMasses.com or 80-20 Investor) and its staff do not accept liability for any loss suffered by readers as a result of any such decisions.
The tables and graphs are derived from data supplied by Trustnet. All Rights Reserved.