Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund

Searching for industry champions, and overlooked and under-the-radar opportunities for growth

Document Library

Factsheet KIID
Interim report Annual report
Holdings report Quarterly note
Prospectus Assessment of value
TCFD Report  

For additional fund documents and share classes visit our literature library

Awards and Ratings

 

Why invest in the Global Opportunities Fund?

  • Proven long-term performance by James Thomson, who has managed the same fund since 2003
  • A 50-60 stock portfolio of companies listed in the US, UK and Europe that we believe will grow faster or be more resilient than the market expects
  • With a focus on returns over 5 years and beyond, the fund aims to take advantage of short-term share price fluctuations, offering greater volatility but potentially greater returns  
  • Searches for companies with that we believe are in control of their destiny, avoiding those that are instead reliant on better economic growth or commoditised prices to improve profits 

 

We scour the developed world for exciting businesses that are growing fast and shaking up their industries. We usually hold only 50 to 60 stocks in our fund, avoiding low-growth sectors, like telecommunications, utilities and banks, which means our performance can deviate significantly from the return of global markets.  

To be successful, we believe businesses have to offer something that others can't match – a star quality. They must be easy to understand, different to their competitors, durable in the face of change and difficult to imitate. Companies must have a plan to grow rapidly without running out of money or overstretching their resources. Our speciality is spotting businesses before they are household names, veteran brands that offer better value when they hit temporary turbulence, and market leaders that find a new engine of growth.  

We buy companies of all sizes, but our sweet spot is mid and large-sized growth companies in developed markets. We avoid companies listed in emerging markets. We avoid businesses which have previously performed poorly, preferring those with an unblemished past. We don’t invest in unpredictable sectors with poor growth prospects. To reduce risk, we hold a defensive bucket of companies with slow and steady growth that should be less sensitive to fluctuations in the economy.

The objective of our fund is to deliver a greater total return than the IA Global Sector, after fees, over any five-year period. There is no guarantee that this investment objective will be achieved over five years, or any other time period. We use the IA sector as a target for our fund's return because we aim to achieve a better return than the average of funds that are similar to ours. You can find our fund’s full objective and investment policy in our Key Investor Information Document (KIID)

Click here for the latest assessment of our performance. 

Fund overview
Costs and charges

MiFID II charges

I class

Ongoing charges figure (OCF) as at 31.07.2023
0.77%

Transaction costs
0.09%

Total MiFID II charges
0.86%

The MiFID II charges include the ongoing charges figure (OCF) and transaction costs. 

Performance
Prices and dividends
Breakdown
Downloads

Why buy - Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund?

31 December 2021

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Meet the fund managers

James Thomson

Fund manager and Executive director

James Thomson

Fund manager and Executive director

James has been the lead manager of the Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund since 2003; he was assistant manager of the fund at its inception in 2001. It is one of the top performing funds in the IA Global sector over that period. James joined Rathbones in 2000, having grown up on the island of Bermuda and graduating from Cornell University in New York. He sits on the Executive Committee of Rathbones Asset Management, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and holds the Investment Management Certificate. James is frequently quoted in the financial press and has won numerous fund management awards over his career. 

James has been the lead manager of the Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund since 2003; he was assistant manager of the fund at its inception in 2001. It is one of the top performing funds in the IA Global sector over that period. James joined Rathbones in 2000, having grown up on the island of Bermuda and graduating from Cornell University in New York. He sits on the Executive Committee of Rathbones Asset Management, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment and holds the Investment Management Certificate. James is frequently quoted in the financial press and has won numerous fund management awards over his career. 

Sammy Dow

Fund manager

Sammy Dow

Fund manager

Sammy has been the lead manager of an institutional global equity fund managed by Rathbones since November 2018; he is also assistant fund manager on the Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund. He joined Rathbones in July 2014 from JPMorgan Cazenove, where he worked for 14 years in Pan-European Equity Sales providing both primary and secondary advice to hedge funds and institutional and private clients. Sammy has a Bachelor’s degree from Edinburgh University and completed a Master’s degree at Cambridge University in 2001. 

Sammy has been the lead manager of an institutional global equity fund managed by Rathbones since November 2018; he is also assistant fund manager on the Rathbone Global Opportunities Fund. He joined Rathbones in July 2014 from JPMorgan Cazenove, where he worked for 14 years in Pan-European Equity Sales providing both primary and secondary advice to hedge funds and institutional and private clients. Sammy has a Bachelor’s degree from Edinburgh University and completed a Master’s degree at Cambridge University in 2001. 

In Conversation

Manager James Thomson highlights two of his favourite consumer stocks which are thriving in a tough period defined by a global cost of living crisis. Top contributors this year have come from a broad church, but include a familiar favourite that he’s been selling. And discover the stock he's wanted to buy for years – he finally got the chance this summer – exclusively on this video.

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