Who is the most successful investment manager in Britain? Arguments could rage for hours, but no professional would dispute that Anthony Bolton of Fidelity is right up there at the top of the tree. GBP1,000 invested in his Special Situations fund at its launch in 1979 would today be worth over GBP80,000. No other mainstream UK fund manager has put together such a consistently impressive performance over such a long period. The 80-fold increase represents an average compound growth rate of 19 per cent per annum, [6 per cent] more than the equivalent market index over the same period. This track record is every bit as good as that recorded by American investment superstars such as Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch. The Fidelity Special Situations fund is now the largest and most popular fund in the UK, with more than GBP3.6 billion of assets. What are the secrets of Bolton's success? In this important new book, published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Fidelity Special Situations fund, Jonathan Davis, investment columnist of The Independent since 1995, and editor of Intelligent Investor, takes an in-depth look at the way that Bolton goes about his business and analyses in detail the performance of the fund over the past 25 years. In a separate 10,000 word section Anthony Bolton gives his own personal account of the history of the fund, explains why he believes his contrarian stockpicking methods have worked so well for so long and discloses how he handles the pressures of being the best-known fund manager in London. This book will be required reading for anyone with a personal or professional interest in investment.
