Grant feels there are reasons to be optimistic
Investing in the US is very tricky and few managers outperform the index. In 2014 only 20% of active managers achieved this (Source JP Morgan). We recently spoke to the manager of the Franklin US Opportunities Fund. Much of the discussion focused on his view of the US and a small amount on his management style.
The fund was launched in the UK on 30 January 2009 but its track is in the US. Since launch in the UK it has returned 175.50% vs the S&P 500 which has returned 150.39%. In fact over 1, 3 and 5 years it has outperformed the S&P 500 although in certain years it has underperformed reflecting this should be a buy and hold strategy.
If the argument stands that the last 5 years favoured funds that tracked the index, and the next five years favours stock pickers then in theory this fund stands a good chance of building on its outperformance because it has already achieved this at a really difficult time.
Certainly the fact that the manager is based on the ground in the US, appears to have a detailed insight to the American economy and has delivered strong numbers makes this fund one for investors to consider. Like all our reviews we would add that this may not suit all investors and careful research would need to be done before an investor commits to investing.