Press Release

Moneyspider.com

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

12 July 2007

BEST SELLING ISA FUNDS FROM 2002 SHOW RADICALLY DIFFERENT RETURNS - AND STRUGGLE TO KEEP PACE WITH TODAY'S STELLAR PERFORMERS

-           Sector focus and diversification plus ongoing monitoring holds the key to top performance, says Moneyspider.com

INVESTORS who piled into popular ISA funds five years ago* have experienced dramatically mixed fortunes, according to the latest research from investment fund data analyst Moneyspider.com (www.moneyspider.com).

As the tables below show, the five biggest selling ISAs in June 2002 have produced staggeringly different levels of profit for investors.

Fidelity's hugely popular Special Situations fund doubled investor returns on a £5k original stake producing a profit over the 5 years of £5,370, but it was outgunned by less well known Artemis' UK Smaller Companies fund, which produced a profit of £6,820.**

In sharp contrast, Fidelity's American Fund - also a best seller five years ago - tells a radically different story, showing a measly profit of £610 on a £5k investment - or just 12.2 per cent - in the half a decade since it was snapped up by ISA buyers looking to a major recovery in the fortunes of the post 9/11 US market.

"It is always interesting to see how specific funds have performed, but crucially it is the sectors that ISA and unit trust investors need to be aware of going forward," said Moneyspider.com's Tony Ahearne. "Asset allocation is as important as is picking the right funds and monitoring how they perform."

"Comparing the most successful ISA funds in June 2007 with those of five years ago, the sector specifics have changed significantly.

"Now, the really sexy story is with niche specialists - JP Morgan's Natural Resources Fund, for example, has rewarded investors with a gain of £16,390 on a £5,000 investment, a stunning 327 per cent growth over 5 years," said Ahearne.

"Schroder's UK Mid 250 has also done very well, and this is a sector which looks to be one to watch, as the indices have outperformed the FTSE 100 in the past 12 months.

"There is inevitably a herd instinct with investors, who have a tendency to follow the fashionable sectors of the day.

"But - as we have seen from the likes of Fidelity's American Fund - it is only when you apply a rigorous rating system such as Moneyspider.com's (see editor's notes for full detail), that investors can track the progress of their funds over the key one, three and five year investment periods."

As the Moneyspider.com ratings show, a fund can be sought after by investors and return respectable profits, but the solution to having a good spread of A rated funds is both in sector diversification and keeping a close eye on how your funds are performing compared with others," said Ahearne.

Top selling ISA funds June 2002 choice

Top selling ISA funds June 2007

Note: Top selling ISA funds source: Fidelity FundsNetwork, July 2007

* Five year performance figs/rating/%score etc source: Moneyspider.com/ Financial Express 25.06.07.

** Source: Moneyspider.com/ Financial Express 25.06.07.

                                                            - Ends-

Editor's notes

Moneyspider was launched in April 2004 and is a totally independent investment research and information company for private investors. Moneyspider constantly monitors all 2,000 or so funds available to UK investors and provides online personal reports that are updated on a daily basis showing current valuation and performance of all funds in one place.

The Moneyspider Rating® provides a unique assessment of the performance of each fund measured against four key parameters:

• Sector ranking: a comparison with all other funds in the same sector as your fund (based on the sector definitions used by the Investment Management Association).
  
• All funds ranking: a comparison with all other 2000 or so Unit Trusts and Open Ended Investment Company funds available to UK investors.
  
• FTSE 100: a comparison of the total return of the fund with the total return of the FTSE 100 index (comprising the UK's 100 largest companies), providing a consistent benchmark for each fund.
  
• Cash: a comparison of the fund's performance with the return from an equivalent amount deposited in a 90 day non-high interest access account.

Moneyspider is an appointed representative of Anthony, Bryant & Company (Investment Consultants) Limited of 25 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1NS, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. The contents of this press release are not intended, and should not be construed as, advice, a recommendation or as an inducement to buy or sell any investment. Moneyspider relies on information regarding investments that is provided by third parties and accepts no liability (including that arising from negligence) for the accuracy of such information.