With the ISA deadline approaching, the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has published a list of the 20 best performing investment trusts over ten years for investors who are looking for ideas.
The top performer 3i Group and the fourth best performer HgCapital Trust are from the Private Equity sector and have delivered outstanding share price total returns of 1,100% and 526% respectively over ten years.
Two of the three top performing investment trusts, Allianz Technology Trust and Polar Capital Technology Trust, are from the Technology & Technology Innovation sector and have delivered total returns of 698% and 551% respectively over the last ten years.
The fifth best performer is JPMorgan American from the North America sector delivering a return of 367% over the same period.
Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “The outstanding performance of these investment trusts over ten years demonstrates the long-term returns trusts can provide investors in a diversified tax-free ISA portfolio. These top performing investment trusts also give you access to a wide variety of companies, countries and sectors.
“The Global and Private Equity sectors dominate, making up half of the top performing trusts over ten years. 3i Group from the Private Equity sector is the overall best performing trust. With the rise of the Magnificent Seven and artificial intelligence, it’s not surprising that the second and third top performers are Allianz Technology Trust and Polar Capital Technology.
“Over a third of these best performing companies are trading on a double-digit discount. Discounts can provide a buying opportunity and currently the average investment trust discount has been in double digits for 29 months, the longest period in 30 years. But this can’t last forever, and when discounts narrow it will provide a boost to investors’ performance.
“Of course, we don’t know what the future best performers will be. Investors need to build a diverse portfolio of investments that meets their long-term financial needs. If you have any doubts about the suitability of investment trusts for you, please speak to a financial adviser.”
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Top 20 best performing trusts over ten years
| Investment trust | AIC sector | Share price total return % | Discount / premium % | |||
| 1yr | 5yr | 10yr | ||||
| Average investment trust ex VCTs | 19.3 | 54.2 | 184.4 | -14.3 | ||
| 1 | 3i Group | Private Equity | 60.5 | 313.4 | 1,100.1 | 64.4 |
| 2 | Allianz Technology Trust | Tech & Tech Innovation | 38.9 | 148.6 | 698.2 | -10.6 |
| 3 | Polar Capital Technology | Tech & Tech Innovation | 39.7 | 134.1 | 551.0 | -9.6 |
| 4 | HgCapital Trust | Private Equity | 22.8 | 113.8 | 525.7 | -5.1 |
| 5 | JPMorgan American | North America | 32.9 | 155.0 | 367.1 | 0.8 |
| 6 | Scottish Mortgage | Global | 40.9 | 91.0 | 365.1 | -8.9 |
| 7 | Manchester & London | Global | 33.1 | 55.7 | 325.6 | -15.1 |
| 8 | JPMorgan Global Growth & Income | Global Equity Income | 22.4 | 112.6 | 301.2 | 0.9 |
| 9 | CT Private Equity Trust | Private Equity | 22.4 | 70.8 | 297.7 | -24.3 |
| 10 | Rockwood Strategic | UK Smaller Cos | 34.0 | 146.9 | 289.6 | 1.57 |
| 11 | Patria Private Equity Trust | Private Equity | 13.9 | 69.4 | 276.1 | -26.8 |
| 12 | Oakley Capital Investments | Private Equity | 6.0 | 89.1 | 275.4 | -31.0 |
| 13 | VietNam Holding | Country Specialist | 23.0 | 138.8 | 253.1 | -3.0 |
| 14 | Monks Investment Trust | Global | 28.0 | 41.9 | 246.2 | -10.1 |
| 15 | Montanaro European Smaller Cos | European Smaller Cos | 20.1 | 37.7 | 246.2 | -8.9 |
| 16 | Herald Investment Trust | Global Smaller Cos | 18.8 | 59.4 | 245.1 | -9.0 |
| 17 | VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity | Country Specialist | 6.8 | 68.9 | 243.4 | -25.9 |
| 18 | Brunner Investment Trust | Global | 25.2 | 77.3 | 237.0 | -4.6 |
| 19 | The European Smaller Cos Trust | European Smaller Cos | 14.4 | 73.0 | 236.0 | -8.2 |
| 20 | Alliance Witan | Global | 19.1 | 79.1 | 235.4 | -4.4 |
Source: theaic.co.uk / Morningstar (share price total return to 31/01/25, discount / premium as at 07/02/25).
Scottish Mortgage is the sixth top performing trust delivering a total return of 365% over ten years. Other Global trusts in the top 20 include Manchester & London, Monks Investment Trust, Brunner Investment Trust and Alliance Witan.
JPMorgan Global Growth & Income from the Global Equity Income sector is the eighth best performing trust over ten years and has delivered a total return of 301% over ten years.
The ninth best performing company is CT Private Equity Trust from the Private Equity sector, delivering a return of 298%. Apart from 3i Group and HgCapital the other Private Equity investment trusts in the top 20 are Patria Private Equity Trust and Oakley Capital Investments.
There are two trusts from the Country Specialist sector: VietNam Holding and VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity.
There are four trusts focused on smaller companies: Rockwood Strategic from the UK Smaller Companies sector, Herald Investment Trust from the Global Smaller Companies sector and two companies from the European Smaller Companies sector, Montanaro European Smaller Companies and The European Smaller Companies Trust.
