M&G European Index Tracker Fund

Advantages: tracks ftse uk index,low charges, spread risk , can be ISA'd
Disadvantages: covers all sectors, can miss out on sector over performance

...where to look? Well Fidelity Moneybuilder Index Fund fits the bill for me. It is available from Fidelity's Funds Network which is a supermarket of investment funds with over 950 different funds from 55 fund managers. Fidelity Moneybuilder UK index ------------------------------------------ Aims to track the FTSE all share index which means it invests in the Large FTSE 100 companies down to smaller companies in the main market, but not AIM market stocks. Performance On the fidelity website you have a very useful feature that gives you an overview of each fund. Over five years the fund has returned 4.9% now remember that the market fell 28% from 2001-2002 over three years the fund returned 23.6% and over a year 27% Charges Now this is where Fidelity score over the competition. There is no initial charge on ISA and ISA... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Young, small and flexible. Superb but brief historic performance.
Disadvantages: Little movement in price for several months.

...Jupiter European Special Situations fund was set up less than two years ago and has already seen growth of 140%. Virtually all of that growth was made in the first year but what sets this fund apart from many others, is that it has held on to those gains through what has been one of the most volatile years for shares around the world. Even though the Euro has slipped in value by 30% or so, over the last year, the fund has maintained its value in Sterling terms. When the Euro recovers, as we are led to believe it will, this will be translated into a 30% gain. I bought into this one in January of this year and have no qualms whatsoever about holding. The fund size currently stands at about £140 million, which is miniscule for a European fund. This means it is flexible and can react much more quickly to changes in trends as there is... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: they're not bad but far from the best
Disadvantages: very expensive management charges

...At 1% management charges, Virgin are very expensive. There are plenty of other UK Trackers which do the same job with charges from 0.1% - 0.5%. Why would you want to give them extra cash? I know that some others (especially the biggest banks) not only levy initial charges but also charge a massive 1.5%pa. Again they are not better at what they do. Who do you think pays for the City boys' bonuses each year? Most trackers have no intitial charges so if yours isn't performing well or has high management charges (over 0.53%) why not take your funds elsewhere? Consider M& G, Legal & General, F&C (although there performance is variable). A bit of research could pay huge dividends, particularly over the long term.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful