Roger Aitken, analyst, interprets the June 2014 data:

The £6.19m Guinness Alternative Energy C fund surpassed its peers in the UK Registered funds sector in the year to 31 May 2014 with a +22.07% cumulative return versus less than spectacular past three- and five-year performances of -14.37%/180th and -22.95%/152th, respectively. Craton Capital Renewable, Alternative & Sustainable Resources A fund was runner up on the past one-year horizon (+19.90%), reversing rankings on the previous month’s Morningstar analysis with the £62.03m Triodos Sustainable Pioneer K Retail fund (+19.53%). The £73.04m Premier Ethical A Income fund, which ranked fourth top over the last 12 months with +19.01%, posted a stellar +110.83/10th rank over the last five years.

SUNARES just shaded it from Iveagh Wealth EUR X Acc fund (-15.23%) to take the sector’s wooden spoon over the past one year with -15.74%/204th (-57.79%/185th over past three years).

MAP Clean Technology Fund I beat Economie Durable A fund by a country mile for the past 12 months posting +133.65%, although the latter was a consistent performer over both one- and three-year time horizons with respective performances of +66.47% and +71.47% - ranking it second top both times. LSF Asian Solar & Wind A1 fund was in third place this time with +49.93% over the past 12 months, but seriously lagged with -14.31%/1,004th over three years. FIP Développement Durable A A/I fund bottom ranked out of 1,100 funds at -33.09% over the past year (-36.66%/1,010th over three). Triodos Vastgoedfonds ranked second from bottom over the past year and placed 1,012th over past three (-39.42%).

Across the US Mutual funds sector, which displayed the best peer group average at +94.25% over the last five years, the $16.48m Firsthand Alternative Energy fund outclassed rivals on a past one-year horizon with +43.34% versus a lacklustre -2.83%/172th rank over the past three years and +9.41%/158th rank over past five, respectively. The $24.32m Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy fund was second top producing +34.81% over the past year versus -20.56%/176th over the past three-years horizon and -3.48%/185th over last five. The $629.12m Eventide Gilead N fund ranked fourth top on a past one-year view (+27.74%) and was No.1 over three years (+67.83%) and a mighty +165.82% (4th) over five years. Epiphany FFV Latin America A bottom ranked here among 192 funds on -2.77% for the past year.

The UK Individual Pensions sector posted the best peer group average over one- and three-year periods at +27.37% and +38.43%, respectively.