A Good Time To Invest In Alternative Energy Mutual Funds?

Source: Canadian Hydro Developers Inc.

Yesterday’s Financial Times provides a report on alternative energy mutual funds (see Fund Management: Alternative Energy Fuels Long-Term Opportunity, Ruth Sullivan, February 4^th, 2008).  Citing the growing pressures of record high oil prices and increasing climate change problems, Ms. Sullivan concludes that “the case for investing in alternative energy is becoming more compelling”

She quotes a number of alt. Energy fund managers, including Ron Batchelor, co-manager of the BlackRock/Merrill Lynch New Energy Technology Fund:

“Investors have been shunning mainstream energy equities over the past 18 months on the back of worries in the US. Instead they are heading to alternative energy equities.”

That being said, there are not a lot of alternative energy mutual funds out there that investors can head to.  Including the four that are specifically identified in the FTimes article, I can only come up with eight.  I’ve included a list below.

Alternative Energy Mutual Funds

Fund	Launched	Country of Origin	Symbol
Calvert  Global Alternative Energy Fund	May, 2007	US	CGEAX
Creststreet Alternative Energy Fund	November, 2007	Canada	N/A
F&C Global Climate Opportunities Fund	September, 2007	UK	N/A
Firsthand Alternative Energy Fund	October, 2007	US	ALTEX
Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy Fund	March, 2006	US	GAAEX
Merrill Lynch New Energy Technology Fund	February, 2000	UK	LON: MNE
New Alternatives Fund	September, 1982	US	NALFX
Sarasin New Power Fund	April, 2007	Switz.	N/A

Comments

[Sunny]

Hello,

I was doing a search on the Creststreet Alternative Energy Fund when I came across your blogs. I am about to invest 1000$ in the fund this upcoming week and I get all excited about its return. Are all mutual funds who are in the Altrenative Energy are that great?