Asian Technology

Advantages: Consistent 40% pa growth, low volatility
Disadvantages: Initial charges but these can be reduced through an execution-only broker.

...This has to be one of the smoothest performing trusts I've seen for a long time. It has grown at a rate of 40% per annum since launch. I don't mean an average of 40%, I literally mean that in August each year the price was 40% higher than the previous year. With the exception of a couple of medium sized corrections (the Asian market crash in 1998 and the technology correction early this year), the growth has been exceedingly consistent. It even recovered quickly from those corrections which were far less drastic than for most other funds. A thousand pounds invested in August 1997 would now be worth £3000, and the thousand that I invested in January 2000 is already worth well over £1300. I'm so pleased with what I see that I am now suggesting that my wife should invest here entire ISA allowance in this fund in the next couple... Read review

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Advantages: May recover in the long term
Disadvantages: Perpetual has been taken over by Invesco

...I must admit I had never heard of Perpetual 5 years ago. It was my independent financial adviser who brainwashed me in thinking Perpetual was the best thing since sliced bread. The literature from Perpetual is quite mind-blowing. An entire page devoted to the awards and prizes received by the company in the preceding 5 years. The rest of the literature was marketed superbly. You got the feeling that if you did not purchase a Perpetual fund you were missing out on something big. Anyway I put £500 in the Perpetual Asian Smaller Markets fund. I had read an article in the Financial Times that the Tiger economies in Southeast Asia were ready to take off and investors should not miss out. Well two months later the Tiger economies had a massive market crash. Soon my £500 was worth £256. It was great timing on my part. Instead of selling... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent long term performer and likely to stay so
Disadvantages: A volatile sector that varies considerably in the short term.

...I bought into Aberdeen Technology in January this year. I was influenced by its consistent outstanding long term performance and after a discount from Hargreaves Lansdown the units cost me £28.11 each. The price rocketed to £42 or so and then fell back to around £30 in the correction. They recovered quickly and now stand at very nearly £36 which is well over 25% gain since I bought them. The fund has temporarily been knocked of its pedestal, no longer being in the "Top Ten" performance chart, along with many others in the same sector. The fund, however, was built on excellent solid foundations with investments in the fundamentals of technological development - well established companies making the components and providing the networks rather than the dot.com companies - and so will continue to rise at a very pleasing rate and, in my... Read review

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