The Social Network, the film that depicts the founding of Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard friends, is a compelling drama that also causes viewers idly to speculate: If I d been able to back this university start-up in 2004, how rich would I be now?
Facebook is now an $880bn giant. The share price has risen from $42 in 2012 to $309. Yet its early performance was disappointing, a point to note amid the buzz over Oxford Nanopore, the DNA sequencing technology business spun out from the university that is set to make a stock market debut this year.
For savers in the failed Woodford equity income fund, Oxford Nanopore s move has been a fresh source of chagrin, as the stake was sold by the administrator Link at a fraction of its current value.
Investing in university spin-outs can help your profits grow dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ninety One to merge pair of Alastair Mundy’s shrinking funds
UK Total Return has been combined with UK Special Situations after losing over 80% of its assets in 2020
Ninety One has merged a pair of Alastair Mundy’s former funds after both saw assets shrivel during the pandemic.
An announcement posted to the fund group’s website confirmed it had combined the Ninety One UK Total Return fund with the UK Special Situations fund at the end of February.
Explaining its decision Ninety One said UK Total Return’s size “has declined significantly to the point that it is no longer economically viable and is not expected to grow.”
How to invest in a UK recovery: With Brexit done and vaccinations forging ahead, these funds and investment trusts are set to bounce back
With Brexit finally - and literally - a done deal, many hope the fortunes of unloved UK funds and trusts will improve this year and beyond
Positive vaccination news is also raising hopes for a turnaround this year
Latest industry statistics revealed mass outflows from UK funds over 2020
The UK All Companies sector was hit the hardest