Agility + Acumen

We’re independent. We’re not owned by a bank. We’re not owned by an

insurance company. We've deliberately designed a nimble company to bring

to advisers and investors a straightforward series of funds managed by individuals

who we believe are masters of their craft.

A good fund manager, like any good craftsman is hard to find. Once found, City

Financial harnesses the proven skills of these individuals. Without legacy or

conflict of interests and without the distractions that a big company brings, the

managers are empowered to focus on creating something remarkable for our

investors and their advisers.

John Husselbee's Market Minute: No time for a Mars bar!

As the UK experiences a hiatus in growth, John Husselbee, lead fund manager of City Financial’s multi-manager fund range, looks towards strong corporate results as an opportunity to outperform.

Keeping faith with emerging markets

John Husselbee, lead manager of the City Financial MultiManager Growth Fund, discusses the fund's positive start to the year and why he continues to maintain a bias towards emerging markets and quality large-cap income managers.

City Financial is delighted to announce two key appointments to its board

Professor David R. Beatty and Mr Michael Stein have joined City Financial as non-executive directors. Both David and Michael have extensive experience working with large, multi-national corporations and helping to build and organically develop businesses. Their appointments represent a significant step in the continued growth and expansion of City Financial.

  • Read our press release here.

City Financial's Graham Glass explains where value can be found in fixed income markets

With many government bond yields currently trading at all time lows and credit markets pricing in an economic downturn of greater proportions than we have seen in 100 years, Graham Glass, lead manager of the newly re-launched City Financial Strategic Global Bond Fund, recently shared his thoughts with Investment Week.

Nick Roberts shares his thoughts on a turbulent 2011 for the financial markets

Nick Roberts, a fund manager for the City Financial MultiManager range, provides an annual review on a year that will go down in the history books. "We may well look back on 2011 as a year that forever changed the economic and political landscape of the world. At the very least, it will be a case study year for students of both economics and politics long into the future. For this year has proven no less eventful than 2008, with a bombardment of sensationalist headlines causing unprecedented volatility across the financial markets..."

City Financial re-launches Strategic Global Bond Fund

City Financial, the London-based investment firm, has re-launched its Strategic Global Bond Fund to capitalise on the growing investment opportunities in global credit. The fund, which previously invested only in sovereign debt, will now also provide exposure to corporate bonds at the hand of new Lead Manager, Graham Glass.

City Financial's Asian Absolute Growth manager on CNBC

Aoifinn Devitt, portfolio manager for City Financial's Asian Absolute Growth Fund, joined CNBC for a look back at Europe's trading day and Asian markets, 7 September 2011.

John Husselbee's Market Minute: Grinding it out

The first estimates of second quarter UK GDP suggest that the economy virtually ground to a halt over the last three months, registering just 0.2% growth. With no weather to blame this time round, the finger was instead pointed at the extra bank holiday and, more justifiably, the fallout from events in Japan. ...

Fidelity adds City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund to Select List

Fidelity, one of the UK’s largest asset managers, has added the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund to its recommended select list. This is a fund panel across 14 core sectors which have been selected using Fidelity's Manager Selection Team within the Investment Solutions Group. Fidelity places the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund alongside funds from PIMCO, GLG, Artemis, and Invesco Perpetual in the fixed income sector. “We are delighted to be included in this new initiative by Fidelity and have seen considerable interest from financial advisers and discrectionary managers since the launch of the fund in 2006," says Andrew Williams, CEO at City Financial.

Ian Williams: why the Fed and BoE are both wrong on inflation

As the Western G7 nations have de-industrialised, the bulk of global manufacturing has switched to South East Asia, particularly China. When this first occurred the effect was that the West experienced imported deflation across a whole range of consumer goods as Chinese products were much cheaper than the Western products they replaced. The problem now is that China is suffering rapid ongoing rates of inflation and as they produce 90% imported consumer goods of the Western economies, China’s inflation is now our inflation.

Capturing Asian growth

In her ft.com guest commentary, Aoifinn Devitt, manager of the City Financial Asian Absolute Growth Fund, describes the important forces that are shaping the Asian market and how investors can capture a share of future growth in the region. The story of growth in Asia is not a new one, but much of the low hanging fruit has already been picked and the messy realities of that growth are now roiling investor sentiment. However, this early energy has opened up a new, more complex chapter, where the plot lines are becoming more fragmented and scattered. Profiting from this next phase will require a more inclusive approach towards the older generation of markets as well as a more sophisticated set of techniques to add value — or “deliver alpha” — beyond the traditional “buy and hold” approach that worked so well in the past.

City Financial launches Asian Fund of Funds

City Financial, the UK asset management firm, announced today the
launch of the City Financial Asian Absolute Growth Fund, its first
foray into the Asian Fund of Funds market and its first fund targeted
at institutional investors.

John Husselbee's Market Minute

September, end of the summer holidays and back to school for many. Parents are sorting out uniforms and children are sharpening their pencils. Whilst our children may have new subjects to study, students of the financial markets continue to study the same old topic they have studied all year – Deflation or Inflation? In our school students are divided by their views, and the bond and equity teachers seem to be telling us different stories.

Sesame adds City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund to recommended list

Sesame, the UK’s largest Independent Financial Adviser network, has added the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund to its recommended product list. Interest among IFAs has grown around the Strategic Gilt Fund’s ability to switch seamlessly between conventional and index-linked gilts. Ian Clarke, Head of Research at Sesame, responded to the action, “We have approved the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund because we appreciate the funds unique properties, our confidence in its managers and we believe it is worthy of careful consideration by financial advisers.”

Mark Astley, manager of the City Financial Strategic Global Bond Fund on Asset.tv

As 2010 begins, a number of issues have given the global bond markets cause for concern. City Financial Strategic Global Bond Fund Manager, Mark Astley, discusses these issues with Asset TV’s Mark Colegate, and provides his outlook for the year.

John Husselbee shares his high conviction approach with Investment Adviser

City Financial MultiManager range fund manager, John Husselbee, explains his strategy to Investment Adviser: “I want to seek out the best opportunities and exploit them" across a wide variety of asset classes, states Mr. Husselbee. With strong performance in 2009, the MultiManager range offers investors a truly active multi-asset approach.

Ian Williams and M&G’s Richard Woolnough challenge the consensus in Investment Week

On the front page of this week’s Investment Week, the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund Manager responds to bearish gilt market sentiment.

Highly regarded fixed income managers Richard Woolnough and Ian Williams have challenged the growing bearishness on the gilt market, believing the consensus view is exaggerating the long-term risks… the M&G manager [Mr Woolnough] says the UK has the chance to adjust to the crisis through fiscal stimulus, financial reform and a falling exchange rate.

However, the UK’s total outstanding gross debt stands at 68.7% of GDP, comparing favorably to the US at 84.8% and 78.7% for Germany. “The consensus is exaggerating the risks the UK gilt market faces.”

Top performing City Financial Strategic Gilt fund manager Ian Williams says as universal sentiment in markets is often wrong, there is a plausible case for owning UK Government debt in 2010.

“Rather than a surge in gilts, 2009 was characterised by a long and sustained rally in the equities markets. While this may have been simply coincidental to quantitative easing, it suggests that we should consider the possibility that a withdrawal of QE will have an equal, but opposite, effect. We could therefore see a retrenchment in equities and a much more stable gilt market than is currently built into most forecasts.”

The City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund is an actively managed portfolio of Gilts that aims to offer a superior risk adjusted return over that of passively holding a conventional gilt portfolio with similar characteristics.

Trustnet names John Husselbee a 2010 Alpha Manager

In recognition of consistent outperformance across a wide range of markets, Trustnet has named City Financial MultiManager fund manager, John Husselbee, a 2010 Alpha Manager. Mr Husselbee’s management of the City Financial MultiManager Income and MultiManager Growth funds delivered impressive 2009 returns of +24.99% and +27.56% respectively. Source: Lipper, 31.12.2008 – 31.12.2009

  • See John Husselbee's Trustnet profile here

With quantitative easing near its end, Ian Williams shares his view on 2010 with Bloomberg TV

Many investors are concerned about the impact that the end of quantitative easing may have on their portfolios. City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund manager, Ian Williams, discusses the forces likely to drive markets in 2010 and explains how the end of quantitative easing and the need for fiscal tightening could be supportive of the gilt market.


Morningstar awards City Financial Gilt Fund top Five Stars

Morningstar awards the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund a top rating of Five Stars in recognition of its category leading performance. Since its launch three years ago, the Strategic Gilt Fund has delivered 18.94%, having been the top fund in its IMA peer group in 2007, 2009, and cumulatively for three years.

“Gilt fears may be wrong, says City Financial” Money Marketing

City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund Manager, Ian Williams, argues why stability is likely to characterise the gilt market in 2010. Speaking to Money Marketing, Mr Williams explains that the onset of quantitative easing caused only a slight fall in yields and was, at least, coincidental to the long rally in equities markets, and “we should consider the possibility that a withdrawal of quantitative easing will have an equal, but opposite, effect.”

  • Read Ian's comments here

UK crawls from recession, but, is the consensus wrong again? asks Strategic Gilt Fund manager, Ian Williams

Recent headlines trumpeting the “end” of recession seem to be generating all the usual clamour. As a result, investors find themselves once again unsure of the direction of markets. With an election looming, quantitative easing ending, and fiscal tightening inevitable, there are a complex confluence of factors acting on the gilt market. Ian Williams, manager of the category-leading City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund, explains his outlook for 2010.

The Strategic Gilt Fund delivers strong returns despite a tough year for many others

As the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund approaches its third anniversary, it continues to lead the IMA UK Gilt Sector. Fund manager, Ian Williams, tells CNBC that many in the sector never recovered from losses sustained in January and February of 2009, a period during which the Strategic Gilt Fund continued to grow. Mr Williams also provides perspective on quantitative easing and the future of sterling.

John Husselbee's Market Minute

With many openly questioning the sustainability of the market rally that has characterised much of 2009, John Husselbee, manager of the City Financial MultiManager Range, takes a “back to basics” lens to today’s markets.

Following £25bn of QE, Ian Williams speaks to Bloomberg TV about potential gilt rally

In the wake of the Bank of England’s announcement of more quantitative easing on 5 November, City Financial Strategic Gilt fund manager Ian Williams tells Bloomberg News that the gilt market may be oversold and positioned for a minor rally. Mr. Williams also offers an honest appraisal of UK economic health and recovery.


City Financial Investment Company makes a number of changes to its smaller funds to improve performance and efficiency

City Financial has propsed to rename the UK Select Alpha fund to become the City Financial Equity Income fund. In addition, the fund has increased in size from ~£4.5 million to ~£10.0 million through the injection of ~£5.5 million of additional investor capital. It is proposed that the fund will move from the IMA UK All Companies sector to the IMA UK Equity Income sector. City Financial has appointed Loudwater Investment Partners to manage the fund. Loudwater is led by the former chairman of Panmure Gordon, Richard Wyatt and plans on migrating the fund’s portfolio to focus on high-dividend yielding UK equities. These changes will be designed to make the fund more efficient from a cost standpoint, to the benefit of investors.

On 27 November 2009, shareholders in the City Financial Diversified Absolute Return Fund voted in favour of consolidating its similarly-managed assets into the City Financial MultiManager Income Fund, managed by John Husselbee. This fund is in the top quartile of the IMA Cautious Managed Sector for 2009 year to date. The continuing fund will have over £20 million of assets and therefore represents a more efficient manner for investors to gain access to John Husselbee’s proven multi-asset investment capability.

Strategic Gilt fund manager Ian Williams predicts lower UK interest rates and more quantitative easing

Due to its strong top decile performance and upcoming three-year anniversary, Ian Williams spoke this morning with Bloomberg TV sharing his views on interest rates, quantitative easing, UK monetary and fiscal policy as well as budget cuts. (Source: Lipper, 8 December 2006 – 26 October 2009)

Please note: This performance graph should replace the incorrect one that appears at 0:56 minutes into the clip.


FT Adviser highlights expansion at City Financial with new IFA relationship manager

On the back of growing demand from the IFA community, City Financial has expanded its sales capacity with a dedicated IFA relationship manager. Dan Lincoln joins City Financial with extensive experience in the fund management industry that will enable City Financial to better serve the IFA community.

City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund makes timely switch into conventional gilts

Bloomberg News highlights the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund’s well-timed switch to an overweight bias for conventional gilts, from a similarly overweight position in index-linked gilts. Fund manager Ian Williams explains, “when we sold our index-linked bonds three weeks ago, it was a relative-value play because we thought we squeezed as much juice out of this particular lemon in the short term.” Merrill Lynch’s UK Gilts Inflation-Linked Index’s returned 7% between October 2008 and mid-July 2009.

Market Minute with Ian Williams

The manager of the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund gives his reaction to the Bank of England's quantitative easing program extension to a total of 175 billion pounds.

Market Minute with Ian Williams

Writing to advisers, Ian Williams, manager of the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund, explains his belief that the primary driver behind gilt market behaviour will be equity markets for the balance of summer and into Q4.

Hargreaves Lansdown selects the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund for its Wealth 150

Mark Dampier of Hargreaves Lansdown has selected the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund to be included in his Wealth 150, what his team believes to "be the best funds across all major sectors." Further information about the City Financial Strategic Gilt Fund is available here and on the Hargreaves Lansdown website.

"For a fund to be included in the Wealth 150 it must go through a rigorous selection process. Our 10 strong research team use complex mathematical models and meet hundreds of fund managers a year," says Mr Dampier on the Hargreaves Lansdown website.