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North America sector - closeup of the Statue of Liberty

North America sector

Funds which invest predominantly in the shares of North American companies. Most place an emphasis on capital growth, but some also aim to generate income.


Hal Cook - Senior Investment Analyst

The US stock market is home to some of the world's most well-known companies. Many of these are found within the Tech sector and include household names such as Meta (Facebook), Amazon, Google parent company Alphabet and Apple.

But technology isn’t the only game in town. The US is home to world-leading companies in almost every industry there is, from media and film, through to manufacturing and transportation.

Because of this variety, investing in the US could be a good way to diversify an investment portfolio. Investors should be mindful that US funds can come in different guises. Many funds investing in the US prioritise growth, rather than income. Some focus on the largest companies in the market, usually those within the S&P 500 Index. Others look for opportunities amongst small and medium-sized companies, which may offer greater growth potential, but are higher risk.

Our view

The US is home to many large world-leading businesses that dominate their industries, and as a result it accounts for over half of the global stock market. It’s also home to some excellent smaller businesses, some of which are among the most innovative around and offer lots of growth potential, although they're higher risk than their larger counterparts.

We think most diversified portfolios should have some exposure to the US market. But it's one of the most heavily researched in the world so share prices are often quick to react to new information. We think this can make it more difficult for fund managers to find opportunities missed by others and to consistently perform better than the broader market over the long term.

However, we think there are some experienced managers that are well equipped to do so and we continue to look for other managers investing in the US that we think have the potential to perform well over the long term.

Investment notes

Please remember past performance is not a guide to future returns. Where no data is shown, figures are not available. This information is provided to help you choose your own investments, remember they can fall as well as rise in value so you may not get back the original amount invested.

Wealth Shortlist funds in this sector

Funds chosen by our analysts for their long-term performance potential

View WEALTH SHORTLIST

Our Wealth Shortlist features a number of funds from this sector, selected by our analysts for their long-term performance potential. The Shortlist is designed to help investors build and maintain diversified portfolios. To use the Shortlist to build your portfolio, you should be comfortable deciding if a fund fits your investment goals and attitude to risk. For investors who don't feel comfortable building and maintaining their own portfolio we offer ready-made solutions, which are aligned to broad investment objectives. For those who want extra help, you can also ask us for financial advice.

The fund reviews below are provided for your interest but are not a guide to how you should invest. For more information, please refer to the Key Investor Information for the specific fund. Remember all investments can fall as well as rise in value so you could get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a guide to the future.

There is a tiered charge to hold funds on the HL platform. It is a maximum of 0.45% a year - view our charges.

Wealth Shortlist fund reviews

The team of four co-managers aims to grow an investment by investing in businesses with exceptional growth potential and holding them for long enough to reap the rewards. We like the managers' long-term, disciplined investment process and think they are well equipped to succeed in navigating the world's largest stock market. The managers believe few companies are capable of delivering exceptional returns over the long run, so they run a relatively concentrated fund of between 30 and 50 stocks, which can increase risk.

They believe that companies with resilient business models make for good long-term investments and that corporate culture can be a key component of company performance and ultimately investor returns, although of course there are no guarantees. The managers have also identified a number of powerful trends they believe to be occurring across the economy. Many of the businesses driving these trends are highly innovative and disrupt old ways of doing things. The fund mainly invests in larger companies but also has a small amount in smaller companies, which are higher-risk.

It is important to remember the managers run a low turnover, high concentrated, long-term portfolio. This means performance can be materially different to the market and can lead to periods of heightened volatility.

The fund aims to deliver long-term growth by investing in unloved US smaller companies, with the potential to come back into favour or recover in future. We think this is a great way to invest in smaller companies with high growth potential in one of the world's most innovative markets, although investing in smaller companies is a higher risk approach.

We like Lauren Romeo’s disciplined, valuation led investment approach. She has close to 30 years’ investment experience investing in the US market and she has a strong support network of analysts as well as the firm’s founder Chuck Royce. Romeo runs a relatively concentrated fund which can increase risk.

This fund aims to track the performance of the FTSE USA Index. It invests in 606 mostly large American companies.

This fund invests in most companies in the FTSE USA Index in proportion to each company's size. The larger the company, the larger its impact on the index. Smaller businesses that make up a very small part of the index are sometimes not held in the fund as they can be more difficult or expensive to buy and sell. This helps to keep costs lower.

The fund's tracked the index tightly and efficiently over both the short and longer term, losing little value to annual charges. We think it's a great option for low-cost exposure to the US stock market.

The fund aims to deliver long-term growth by investing in smaller companies based in the US. We think this is a great way to invest in smaller companies with high growth potential in one of the world's most innovative markets, although investing in smaller companies is a higher risk approach.

We like Cormac Weldon's clear, disciplined investment approach, which has served the fund well since launch. He has almost 20 years' experience of investing in the US and is supported by a strong team of analysts. Weldon runs a relatively concentrated fund investing in 50-70 companies out of the thousands that make up the benchmark, which can increase risk.

Since joining Artemis to launch the fund in October 2014, Weldon has delivered attractive returns for investors. Our analysis suggests Weldon's stock picking has added value for the fund. Please remember past performance is not a guide to future returns.

Source for performance figures: Financial Express.

Latest news on this sector

US funds sector review – interest rate cuts on the way?

Aidan Moyle | 12 December 2023

Recent comments from the Federal Reserve governor hint at rate cuts. What could this, the valuation gap between small and large caps and the 2024 presidential race mean for the fund sector? Read article.

Aidan Moyle

12 December 2023 | 6 min read



Investment notes

Please note the research updates are not personal recommendations to trade. If you are unsure of the suitability of an investment for your circumstances please seek advice. Remember all investments can fall as well as rise in value so investors could get back less than they invest.

Latest research updates on funds in this sector

FTF Royce US Smaller Companies: October 2023 fund update

FTF Royce US Smaller Companies: October 2023 fund update

Tue 24 October 2023

In this fund update, Investment Analyst Aidan Moyle shares our analysis on the manager, process, culture, ESG integration, cost and performance of the FTF Royce US Smaller Companies fund.

Baillie Gifford American: September 2023 fund update

Baillie Gifford American: September 2023 fund update

Fri 06 October 2023

In this fund update, Investment Analyst Aidan Moyle shares our analysis on the manager, process, culture, ESG integration, cost and performance of the Baillie Gifford American fund.

BNY Mellon US Equity Income – September 2023 fund update

BNY Mellon US Equity Income – September 2023 fund update

Thu 14 September 2023

In this update, Investment Analyst Aidan Moyle shares our analysis on the manager, process, culture, ESG Integration, cost and performance of the BNY Mellon US Equity Income fund.

Artemis US Smaller Companies: June 2023 fund update

Artemis US Smaller Companies: June 2023 fund update

Tue 20 June 2023

In this update, Investment Analyst Aidan Moyle shares our analysis on the manager, process, culture, ESG integration, cost and performance of the Artemis US Smaller Companies fund.

Legal & General US Index: April 2023 fund update

Legal & General US Index: April 2023 fund update

Wed 05 April 2023

In this update, Passive Investment Analyst Alex Watkins shares our analysis on the manager, process, culture, ESG Integration, cost and performance of the Legal & General US Index Fund.

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