The best funds of the year so far
Saltydog Investor looks at the winners and losers of 2026.
23rd June 2026
by Douglas Chadwick from ii contributor
This content is provided by Saltydog Investor. It is a third-party supplier and not part of interactive investor. It is provided for information only and does not constitute a personal recommendation.
With the summer solstice now behind us and the second half of the year approaching, we thought it would be interesting to look at the best and worst-performing funds so far this year.
Saltydog monitors the vast majority of UK-domiciled funds available through the main investment platforms. Funds are first sorted into Investment Association (IA) sectors and then combined into Saltydog Groups according to their historic volatility.
Our primary focus is on sector performance. Sustained sector trends can reflect changes in economic conditions and investor sentiment. However, the returns of the best and worst funds show that sector labels are only part of the story.
Top 10 funds
The leading funds this year have been focused on South Korea, technology and the Asia-Pacific markets.
Barings Korea I GBP Acc (B9M3RQ4) is the clear leader, having risen by 118.3%. That puts it more than 40 percentage points ahead of Polar Capital Global Tech I Inc GBP (B42W4J8), which is up 77.5%.
We have highlighted the Barings Korea fund several times over the past couple of years.
It is in the Specialist sector but has a strong bias towards technology.
Its largest holdings include Samsung Electronics Co Ltd DR
and SK Hynix, both of which are major beneficiaries of the global surge in demand for advanced semiconductors and memory chips driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data centre expansion.
Polar Capital Smart Energy I Acc GBP (BPF0PL5) and Polar Cptl PLC-Artfcl Intllgnc I Acc GBP (BF0GL54) have also had a strong start to the year, returning 72.8% and 63.6% respectively.
Five of the top 10 funds are from the Asia Pacific excluding Japan sector. They include three index funds, along with Royal London APAC ex Jpn Eq Tilt Z Acc (B68SHD9) and IFSL Marlborough Far East Growth P Acc (B8N9CJ2).
Saltydog’s top 10 funds in 2026 (up to 20 June)
| Fund | IA sector | Return (%) |
| Barings Korea I GBP Acc (B9M3RQ4) | Specialist | 118.3 |
| Polar Capital Global Tech I Inc GBP (B42W4J8) | Technology and Technology Innovation | 77.5 |
| Polar Capital Smart Energy I Acc GBP (BPF0PL5) | Specialist | 72.8 |
| Polar Cptl PLC-Artfcl Intllgnc I Acc GBP (BF0GL54) | Global | 63.6 |
| Royal London APAC ex Jpn Eq Tilt Z Acc (B68SHD9) | Asia Pacific Excluding Japan | 60.5 |
| Liontrust Global Technology C GBP Acc (BYXZ5N7) | Technology and Technology Innovation | 59.8 |
| IFSL Marlborough Far East Growth P Acc (B8N9CJ2) | Asia Pacific Excluding Japan | 58.9 |
| iShares Pacific ex Jpn Eq Idx (UK) D Acc (B849FB4) | Asia Pacific Excluding Japan | 58.8 |
| HSBC Pacific Index Accumulation C (B80QGT4) | Asia Pacific Excluding Japan | 58.6 |
| L&G Pacific Index C Acc (BG0QPB5) | Asia Pacific Excluding Japan | 58.0 |
Data source: Morningstar. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
Last year, the leading returns came from gold and strategic metals funds. SVS Baker Steel Gold&Precious Mtls B Acc (BNGMZG1) rose by 184.9%, while WS Amati Strategic Metals B Acc (BMD8NV6) gained 162.1%.
If Barings Korea keeps going at its current pace, it could do even better this year.
The best and worst funds in each sector
We have also identified the best and worst-performing fund within each of the IA sectors that we monitor each week. The results are grouped according to the Saltydog volatility categories.
Data source: Morningstar. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.
*There are a small number of bond sectors where we track only one or two funds. These have been combined into a single Global & Global Emerging Market Bonds sector.
Here, we look at the results one Saltydog group at a time.
‘Safe Haven’
The ‘Safe Haven’ group contains Short Term Money Market and Standard Money Market funds. The spread between the best and worst returns is tiny, reflecting strict limits around credit quality, duration and liquidity.
‘Slow Ahead’
The variation is much greater in this group. The leading fund, Premier Miton Multi-Asset Gr& Inc C acc (BTHH0C8), is up 15.2% in the Mixed Investment 40-85% Shares sector. IFSL Marlborough 6 Portfolio P Acc (B4LXDY0), from the same sector, has fallen by 2.3%.
The Targeted Absolute Return sector has also produced contrasting results. Janus Henderson Eurp Abs Ret I Acc (B3CPX37) has risen by 7.8%, while YFS Argonaut Absolute Return I GBP Acc (B79NKW0) has fallen by 7.9%.
‘Steady as She Goes’
Margetts Venture Strategy R GBP Acc (B6VBDR1) has gained 21.9% in the Flexible Investment sector, while Trojan has slipped by 0.7%. Premier Miton UK Smaller Companies B Acc (B8JWZP2) is up 21.1%, compared with a 2.3% loss from Liontrust UK Smaller Companies I Acc (B8HWPP4).
In 2025, Artemis SmartGARP UK Eq I Acc GBP (B2PLJM6) rose by 39.9%, while the weakest UK All Companies fund fell by 7.1%. The same sector has again shown a wide spread this year, with JOHCM UK Growth GBP IP Inc (3300934) up 12% and Slater Recovery P Acc (B90KTC7) down 6.7%.
‘Full Steam Ahead – Developed’
The largest difference in the developed market group is in the Global sector. Polar Cptl PLC-Artfcl Intllgnc I Acc GBP (BF0GL54) has risen by 63.6%, while Lindsell Train Global Equity A GBP Inc (B644PG0) has fallen by 10.2%.
There is also a significant variance in the Global Equity Income sector. Artemis Global Income I Acc (B5ZX1M7) is up 24.4%, while Morgan Stanley Glb Brands Eq Inc I Acc (BZ4CG42) has fallen by 13.2%. They were also the best and worst funds in the sector in 2025.
‘Full Steam Ahead – Emerging’
Polar Capital Global Tech I Inc GBP (B42W4J8) leads the Technology and Technology Innovation sector, up 77.5%. Pictet-Digital I dy GBP (B50P236), although the weakest in its sector, has risen by a more modest 12.3%.
Royal London APAC ex Jpn Eq Tilt Z Acc (B68SHD9) is up 60.5%, compared with 7.8% from the weakest fund in the Asia Pacific excluding Japan sector. China-focused funds have also produced a sharp contrast, ranging from a 56.7% gain to a 10% loss.
‘Specialist/Thematic’
The largest spread in the full analysis comes from the Specialist sector. Barings Korea I GBP Acc (B9M3RQ4) is up 118.3%, while Ninety One Global Gold I Acc £ (B1XFGM2) has fallen by 5%.
The leadership in this area has changed markedly since last year. In 2025, the strongest Specialist funds were focused on gold and metals. This year, South Korea, smart energy and AI have featured more prominently.
Not every specialist area has performed well. Healthcare and India funds have generally struggled, with the best fund in both sectors still showing a loss.
Final thoughts
The first half of the year has produced exceptional gains in South Korea, technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and Asia-Pacific markets.
However, even within the same IA sector, outcomes can vary dramatically. Sector trends remain an important starting point, but reviewing the funds within those sectors can help investors see where the strongest and weakest returns can be found.
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