Visibility is clouded and markets volatile at present, which means portfolio diversification should be the watchword for the cautious investor.

A great way to gain exposure to a reassuringly broad spread of investments, diversified by geographic region and industry sector, is to buy F&C Investment Trust (FCIT), a global fund that covers a lot of bases with one asset purchase with a low ongoing charges figure of 0.54%.

The first ever investment trust launched back in 1868, this multi-manager fund offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ of asset diversification at a stroke that should appeal to experienced and first time investors alike. F&C’s dependability is demonstrated by the fact the storied trust has increased its dividend for 51 consecutive years and is confidently planning a 52nd successive rise in the shareholder reward this year.

WEATHERING THE STORM

The world’s oldest collective investment scheme, Columba Threadneedle-managed F&C Investment Trust has navigated numerous financial crises and conflicts during its history, including troublesome periods of high inflation and rising rates, while continuing to generate long-term growth of capital and income.

Run by Paul Niven since 2014, F&C Investment Trust’s portfolio is constructed through investing in a selection of both internal managers within Columbia Threadneedle Investments as well as externally delegated managers. The trust has fared rather well year-to-date, the shares down just 3.1% during a difficult 2022 for global funds.

And over one year, the trust has delivered a share price total return of 3.5%, being one of only two funds in the Association of Investment Companies’ (AIC) Global sector to post a positive return over that period. In fact, according to AIC/Morningstar data, F&C is also the Global sector’s second best performer on a five year view, its 53.2% return only surpassed by Scottish Mortgage (SMT).

ONE-STOP-SHOP SUPERSTAR

F&C Investment Trust’s ultra-diversified portfolio gives investors exposure to most of the world’s markets through investments in more than 400 companies in 35 countries. The company’s array of holdings includes publicly listed equities, as well as unlisted securities and private equity exposure.

As at 30 September 2022, the 20 largest listed equity holdings spanned a reassuring spread set of industry sectors, ranging from mega cap technology names such as Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ), Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) and Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) to US healthcare via UnitedHealth (UNH:NYSE) and discount retail across the pond through Dollar General (DG:NYSE).

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