Top-performing quality-growth funds like Fundsmith Equity, well-known trusts such as Scottish Mortgage and passives tracking commodities have been grabbing Trustnet readers’ attention over 2020 so far. 
With markets going through a massive crash and a sharp rally, we reveal which fund, trust and ETF factsheets have been most heavily viewed during the volatile first six months of the year.
Within the Investment Association universe, the most viewed factsheet on Trustnet has been Fundsmith Equity. This should come as little surprise, given that this is one of the largest and best-known funds in the business.
Headed up by FE fundinfo Alpha Manager Terry Smith, the £20.3bn fund has a quality-growth approach that has kept it at the top end of the IA Global sector since launch. This outperformance continued in the opening half of 2020, with the fund’s 7.61 per cent total return putting it in the top quartile of the peer group.
Source: Trustnet, FinXL, data to 30 Jun 2020
Six of the 20 most-viewed Trustnet factsheets are from the IA Global sector, including Michael Lindsell, Nick Train and James Bullock’s quality-growth offering Lindsell Train Global Equity. Seen as one of Fundsmith Equity’s biggest rivals, this fund has slipped into the second quartile this year.
Rathbone Global Opportunities is another global fund that focuses on quality stocks and has had a strong year, with its 15.60 per cent total return being far higher than Fundsmith Equity’s 2020 gains.
At the start of April, manager James Thomson told Trustnet how he was positioning the £2.5bn fund for a rally that will be “astounding in its speed and ferocity” – which duly followed.
Also from the IA Global sector are Baillie Gifford Global Discovery and Baillie Gifford Positive Change. They are having a very strong 2020: Baillie Gifford Global Discovery’s 35.90 per cent total return is the second highest in the peer group while Baillie Gifford Positive Change is in third place with 34.25 per cent.
These aren’t the only Baillie Gifford funds be popular with Trustnet users in the first half of 2020, as they are joined by Baillie Gifford American and Baillie Gifford Managed. Both of these funds have posted some of the highest returns of their sector – the American fund is up 54 per cent.
Four of Vanguard’s five LifeStrategy funds have made it onto the list, showing the mulit-asset range's continued popularity with both professional and private investors.
Vanguard LifeStrategy 60% Equity and Vanguard LifeStrategy 40% Equity are in the top quartile, while Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity is in the second and Vanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity is in the third.
Despite the fact that the IA UK All Companies sector is the largest in the Investment Association universe, just three of its members are among the 20 most-viewed Trustnet factsheets.
CFP SDL UK Buffettology, LF Lindsell Train UK Equity and Liontrust Special Situations are all top quartile for the first half of 2020, but the underperformance of the UK market means they remain in negative territory.
Source: Trustnet, FinXL, data to 30 Jun 2020
When it comes to the most-viewed investment trust factsheets, Scottish Mortgage came in first. Again, this shouldn’t be too surprising given its standing as the world’s largest investment trust with assets of £13.1bn.
It’s not just the trust’s size that has attracted investors, however. James Anderson and Tom Slater’s trust made 41.98 per cent in the opening six months of 2020, which is the IT Global sector’s highest return; it’s also in first place over one, three, five, 10, 15 and 20 years.
Many of the most-viewed trusts are in their sector’s top quartile over 2020 to date, such as Monks Investment Trust, Edinburgh Worldwide, Finsbury Growth & Income, Allianz Technology and Smithson Investment Trust.
However, there are some well-known names that have made some of the worst returns of their sector this year. Temple Bar, Murray International and European Opportunities are all in the bottom quartile.
Source: Trustnet, FinXL, data to 30 Jun 2020
In the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) sectors, Trustnet readers have been looking at those tracking commodities.
WisdomTree WTI Crude Oil has been the most viewed ETF this year, but the collapse in the oil price means it is down more than 55 per cent. A fall of around 40 per cent hit WisdomTree Brent Crude Oil.
The rally in the gold price on the back of demand for safe havens has seen interest in offerings like WisdomTree Physical Gold and iShares Physical Gold ETC. Both are up around 24 per cent.
Investors were also looking at other precious metal products, including Xtrackers Physical Rhodium ETC – which is up 57.28 per cent. Rhodium is considered the rarest and most valuable precious metal in the world, above even gold and silver.
Aside from commodities, ETFs focusing on the UK, the US and tech stocks – which have led the recent rally – have also been at the top of Trustnet users’ research lists.