The managers running the biggest active funds picked stocks that beat the market in 2025 — and most still lagged their benchmark. A Morningstar do-nothing experiment and a body of academic research explain why active funds underperform even when the picking is good: skilled buying undone by poor selling, the hidden cost of trading, and the incentives that keep managers churning. The UK evidence points the same way.
Fidelity's active funds built their reputation on Peter Lynch's legendary returns. But 30 years of data reveals zero funds with statistically significant outperformance. Most telling? Fidelity's own $723 billion bet on zero-fee index funds—bigger than its flagship active fund. When Peter Lynch's company stops backing Peter Lynch's strategy, the evidence speaks louder than marketing.
Robin Powell
Oct 25, 20259 min read
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