HEAD-TO-HEAD: JP Morgan versus T Rowe Price

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Manager review

Both teams have relatively new fund managers, according to McDermott.

Joseph Wilson has been managing the JP Morgan fund since February 2017, with co-manager Timothy Parton joining him in July this year. Wilson, who joined the firm in 2014, also manages the firm’s US-focused large-cap growth portfolios. Parton, meanwhile, joined the firm in 1986 and is also managing the firm’s US growth strategy and multi-cap growth strategy.

Both Wilson and Parton are supported by investment specialists Christian Preussner and Fiona Harris, McDermott added.

Turning to the T Rowe fund, McDermott said that Alan Tu was named as the product’s portfolio manager in March this year. However, he has been involved with managing the fund since 2016 and has since worked with the previous manager Josh Spencer, who is now managing the firm’s New Horizon fund, which focuses on smaller growth-oriented companies.

McDermott added that the close working relationship between Tu and Spencer should ensure a smooth transition in managing the fund.

Tu is supported by 24 research analysts who cover the technology sector.

Although both fund managers of the two products are new, McDermott doesn’t have any huge concerns, given that both have large research platforms supporting them.

“JP Morgan is likely to have significant bench strength given the size of the business, while T Rowe pride themselves on their team process across the business and that has resulted in strong returns for a number of their funds.

“Clearly, we’d like to see how both perform in bear markets, but that argument can be made for a lot of managers given it has been more than a decade since we saw the last one.”

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