How the sectors performed:
The best domestic categories for the three-months ended June were:
Gold and Precious Metals at 8.24%
Foreign Bonds at 3,28%
This was due to a weakening in the rand accompanied by a strong increase in the gold price.
The worst sector over the period was Resources and Basic Materials which fell by 10,87% as commodity prices experienced large declines.
12 months
Over 12 months Financial unit trusts outshone with a return of 28,85%, followed by the Smaller Companies category with 27,21%.
The worst sector over the past year was the Foreign Varied Specialist category with minus 5,79%.
Three years
The best category over three years was Money Market with 9,81% per annum.
Five years
Resources and Basic Industries still topped the five-year figures with 18,99% per annum.
How the funds performed
The best funds over the three-month period were the Old Mutual Gold Fund A and the STANLIB Gold and Precious Metals Fund A* with 9,11% and 7,37% respectively. The worst fund for the past quarter was the Sanlam Pan Europe Fund with -13,53%.
Over the last 12 months the best-performing unit trust was the RMB Small/Mid-Cap Fund A with 43,69%, followed by the Grindrod Global Property Income Fund with 42,60%. The worst-performing fund was the RMB Euro Income Fund A with minus 15,63%.
The best fund over three years was the Cadiz Equity Ladder Fund with 21,95% per annum, and the best fund over five years was the Old Mutual Mining and Resources Fund A with 21,95% per annum.
The analysis done in this survey excludes the Old Mutual Gold Fund A and the STANLIB Gold and Precious Metals Fund A from Resources and Basic Industries and places them in a separate sector, namely Gold and Precious Metals.
Dr Prieur Du Plessis is chairman of Plexus Asset Management