Best Technology Investment Funds – Our Top Picks
If you are looking for long-term growth and are prepared for some volatility with your investment, it is worth taking a closer look at technology as an investment option.
Latest Tech Fund Developments:
1. Cloud Computing:
One area that looks to continue to grow is cloud computing, with companies looking to accelerate their investment in cloud computing Technology.
In the last few years cloud computing sales increased significantly with revenue figures rising sharply for market leader Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT).
According to Gleeson:
“The world has changed. Take the work-from-home phenomenon. The tools businesses have relied on in the move to remote working are almost entirely dependent on cloud computing. Employees need to be able to access software products and company data from wherever they happen to be; only businesses using software-as-a-service subscriptions and cloud hosting solutions have been able to facilitate that”.
Ben Rogoff, fund manager at Polar Capital Technology investment trust (LSE:PCT), expects:
“Covid-19 to drive rapid adoption of cloud computing upon which modern software and internet services sit.”
Polar Capital Technology Trust
A leading technology investment trust that aims to maximise long-term capital growth through a diversified portfolio of global technology companies.
With net assets of £1.9 billion, the Trust is currently trading at a discount of 11.66% (as of 28/12/2022).
Polar Capital Technology has just over 30% of the fund invested in 4 tech giants, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:FB), with 10 holdings accounting for 52% of the fund. With a focus on large companies, currently 3, quarters of the fund is invested in North America with 115 holdings.
According to analyst Numis Securities “Polar Capital Technology is an attractive way to gain diversified exposure to global technology stocks focused on themes that are driving future growth, rather than the industry incumbents.”
Ben Rogoff, fund manager, says:
“We do not believe technology outperformance has to end with the pandemic diminishing.
Covid-19 has accelerated several key technology trends, but the redistribution of profit pools across myriad industries began long before the pandemic.
Companies have been forced to adapt their business models to a digital-first world.”
You can access this fund via the following investment platforms:
| Fund available from: | Fund Ongoing Charge* | Go to website |
|---|---|---|
 | 0.82% | Go » |
 | 0.82% | Go » |
 | 0.82% | Go » |
 | 0.82% | Go » |
2. Chip Technologies:
Top chip manufacturers like Intel scramble to meet exploding demand by leading innovative companies like Tesla.
As technology continues to advance in the years ahead, demand for computer chips is likely to surge. Smartphones, tablets, wearables, and new technologies such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and robotics will all require chip power.
Recent developments in chip manufacturing in 2022 include Facebook’s parent Meta, which announced that it would be building the world’s fastest AI supercomputer, followed by Nvidia in March 2022, which said it would be making the world’s fastest AI system.
eToro Chip-Tech Smart Portfolio
Chip-Tech takes the eToro Smart Portfolio approach and offers diversified exposure to one of the most exciting tech sectors in the world.
The swift pace at which new technologies are being developed is challenging companies that design, manufacture and sell chips to rise to the occasion and meet the continuously growing demands of these new products.
For investors, advances in technology and the increasing demand for high performance chips are creating a number of exciting opportunities.
eToro’s Chip-Tech Smart Portfolio comprises leading global companies playing an integral role in semiconductor manufacturing and commercialisation and companies producing chip components such as pure silicon wafers.
eToro’s Chip-Tech CopyPortfolio comprises leading global companies playing an integral role in semiconductor manufacturing and commercialisation and companies producing chip components such as pure silicon wafers.
The process of selecting assets for the portfolio is as follows: First, the universe of stocks available on eToro is scanned for companies that fit the semiconductor landscape. Then each stock undergoes a screening process based on a series of metrics, such as market capitalisation, liquidity of the shares, financial ratios and analysts’ consensus ratings.
The metrics form the basis for the stocks’ ranking, and finally, the top-ranked stocks in each subsector are included in the portfolio and weighted accordingly.
Capital at risk.
3. Automation:
Another sector benefitting from the post-pandemic is automation, with producers looking to accelerate the reduction of human involvement on factory production lines and to bring in new processes that can deal with new logistical challenges driven by online demand.
According to Walter Price at Allianz Technology Trust (LSE:ATT) supply-side diversification has become a priority for many companies.
“China is no longer the default option because businesses that only had Chinese production facilities, or depended on Chinese suppliers, faced real problems when it closed down.”
He said many firms would consider bringing production closer to home through automation investment.
Allianz Technology Trust
Allianz Technology Trust invests in a diversified, focused portfolio of companies that innovatively use technology to gain a competitive advantage.
With net assets of £229m, the Trust is currently trading at a discount of 9.95% (as of 28/12/2022)
Particular emphasis is placed on companies addressing major growth trends with innovation that replaces existing technology or radically changes products and services and how they are supplied to customers.
The fund’s top holdings include Alphabet – A Shares (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) and Samsung Electronics (LSE:SMSN).
One of the fund’s strong performers has seen lithium-ion battery producer Samsung SDI as a result of the Company capturing market share in the electric vehicle battery market. The fund manager Walter Price believes that:
“Samsung SDI remains well positioned to benefit from the accelerating revolutionary transformation of the auto industry toward a new era of fully electric vehicles”.
| Fund available from: | Fund Ongoing Charge* | Go to website |
|---|---|---|
| 0.80% | Go » |
| 0.80% | Go » |
| 0.80% | Go » |
| 0.80% | Go » |
4. Renewable Energy:
Renewable energy is another sector that has benefitted from Covid-19, accelerating the global trend for reducing carbon emissions.
In the UK, the government launched 2020 a 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution focusing on making the UK a global leader in green technologies. Some of the plans focus on investing in advancing offshore wind, greener buildings, green finance and innovation, which is good news for the environment and investors.
One of the renewable sectors’ growth stories is battery technology. Walter Price makes the point that the ability to store energy is critical. Companies such as Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), a market leader, and SolarEdge (NASDAQ:SEDG), are well-placed to deliver products to deal with increasingly large demand from companies and households.
According to Wisdom Tree, battery technology development represents an emerging megatrend driven by the need for global economies to address the challenges of climate change. Lowering carbon missions has become a focus for governments, companies, and private individuals as the environmental impact are becoming clearer.
The energy changes needed to address climate change will see a shift from hydrocarbons, including oil, gas & coal, to renewable energies, but for this to happen effectively, batteries will play a crucial part in this transition process.
Below are two funds that focus on this growing megatrend.
Legal & General Battery Value-Chain ETF
The Legal & General UCITS ETF Battery Value Chain fund tracks the Solactive Battery Value–Chain Index (the “Index”) & aims to benefit from the long-term megatrend that L&G believes will radically transform the way we live and work. The fund’s focus is to capture the outsized growth potential of battery technology.
Wisdom Tree Battery Solutions ETF
The Wisdom Tree Battery Solutions ETF (LSE:CHRG) tracks the price and net dividend performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Battery Solutions Index (the “Index”), offering investors access to publicly listed firms which are primarily involved in battery and energy storage solutions.
Capital at risk.
5. Cybersecurity
With growing global concerns over online security and data protection regulation, cybersecurity companies are developing innovative technologies to protect commercial entities, government and military institutions, and private individuals from digital threats.
The rise in cyber attacks has led to an increase in demand for companies that provide cyber security.
In the UK alone, government data as of February 2022 showed that more than 1,800 cybersecurity firms generated £10.1 billion in revenue in the most recent financial year, up 14% from the previous financial year.
eToro Cybersecurity
eToro’s CyberSecurity CopyPortfolio aggregates stocks from a broad range of online cyber technology companies dealing with cybersecurity threats to militaries, corporations and individuals.
The process of selecting assets for the portfolio is as follows: First, the universe of stocks available on eToro is scanned for companies that fit the Cyber Security landscape.
Then each stock undergoes a screening process based on a series of metrics, such as market capitalisation, liquidity of the shares, financial ratios and analysts’ consensus ratings. The metrics form the basis for the stocks’ ranking, and finally, the top-ranked stocks are included in the portfolio and equally weighted.
Capital at risk.
Why invest in a technology fund?
Whilst you could research technology companies, the advantage of a fund is that a team of experts do all the hard work for you, and you can gain exposure to a spread of companies cost-effectively. Some of the sectors within technology that a fund might provide exposure to include:
- Software and hardware manufacturers
- Electronic services
- IT services
- Business data processing
- Entertainment streaming services.
You can either opt for a low-cost index tracker approach such as the L&G Technology Index fund, which tracks the FTSE World Technology Index, or you can opt for an actively managed fund.
Active fund managers such as Allianz Global Investors and Polar Capital have dedicated teams focusing purely on the technology sector. For example, the Allianz Technology Trust focuses on identifying trends that can identify tomorrow’s Apple or Microsoft.
How to buy technology funds
You can invest in a technology fund directly or via a tax wrapper such as an ISA or self Invested Personal Pension. If you are investing on behalf of a child, you can invest via a junior ISA or Junior SIPP.
You can invest using an investment platform typically from £50 pm.
What is the best investment platform to use for a technology fund?
Today’s investor in 2023 has a lot of options to choose from.
One of the key considerations is cost. However, picking the “cheapest” is not as simple as it sounds, as each platform has its costing model, which often makes it difficult to compare like for like.
Below we have outlined what you can expect to pay in charges for 4 of the UK’s largest and most popular investment platforms based on investing in the L&G Global Technology Index fund.
| Investment Platform | Platform Fees | Example - Ongoing Fund Charge (OFC) | Annual Charge on £10,000 | Annual Charge on £40,000 | Annual Charge on £100,000 | Annual Charge on £250,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Investor | £9.99 pm flat fee | 0.32% | £152 | £248 | £440 | £920 |
| Hargreaves Lansdown | 0.45% up to £249,999, reducing to 0.25% from £250,000 to £1m | 0.32% | £77 | £416 | £770 | £1425 |
| AJ Bell | 0.25% on first £250K | 0.32% | £57 | £256 | £570 | £1425 |
| Fidelity | 0.35% from £7,500 to £249,999, reducing to 0.2% from £250,000 to £1m | 0.32% | £67 | £328 | £670 | £1125 |
As you can see, the right platform for you will depend on how much you are investing.
Other considerations include the following:
- How easy is the platform to use, and what tools and research are on offer
- What fund discounts are there? different platforms have negotiated various discounts on funds
- Customer reviews – helpful in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of platform providers
- Level of customer service provided
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