US equity funds are top performers for 2018 but 2019 may be a different story

SINGAPORE (Dec 24): The US economy enjoyed one of its most robust performances when it reported its fastest rate of GDP growth in nearly four years in 2Q2018. The strong growth, which was driven by higher fiscal spending and tax cuts, should have extended the bullish run seen in US equities over the last few years. Instead, trade tensions with China and fears of a US slowdown have taken the wind out of the sails for US equities.

It is, then, perhaps surprising that the top-performing Singapore-registered funds in 2018 are dominated by those that largely invest in US equities, according to Morningstar data. Among these funds, the crème de la crème are those that have high exposure to the healthcare sector.

One such fund is the AllianceBernstein International Health Care fund, which seeks capital appreciation through investments in healthcare and health sciences companies worldwide. The fund returned 10.1% and outperformed its benchmark — MSCI World Health Care Index — so far this year to Dec 14.

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