“It is often said that word of mouth is the best form of marketing,” says
Iain Dey in Scotland on Sunday. “But in the world of fund management, performance speaks louder.”
When it comes to Jim Fisher’s Saracen Growth Fund, that statement is spot on. Discreetly operating over a bridal shop on Glasgow’s Bath Street, the little-known fund was named last year’s top-performing UK all companies fund at the Moneywise fund awards.
Not only has it outperformed the FTSE All-Share index over each of the last six years, but over the past three years it has also “returned a whopping £2,766 on a £1,000 investment compared with the sector’s average manager return of £1,870”, says Citywire.co.uk. According to Investment Week, Fisher seeks out firms using a value-based approach, with his bottom-up portfolio aiming to “provide steady, low volatility growth with the ability to withstand changes to the market”. He puts his success down to the fund’s buy and hold ethic, telling Investment Week that “we tend to buy and hold for an average of four years”. “We have the patience to stick with our companies but the courage to admit when we are wrong.”
And while Fisher and colleagues use a rigorous fundamental process called
‘The seven pillars of wisdom’, the cheesy title shouldn’t put investors off, says Interactive Investor. “The Saracen Growth Fund has consistently outperformed, making 22.5% over one year and 57% over three years.”
Contact: 0141-248 2277
Saracen Growth Fund top ten holdings
Name of holding % of assets
BP 4.33%
Xstrata 4.09%
Renova Energy 3.59%
GlaxoSmithKline 3.37%
Barclays 3.08%
Goals Soccer Centres 3.0%
Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group 2.9%
BT Group 2.89%
Anglo Pacific Group 2.82%