Despite having generated more than three times the return of the FTSE All-Share index over the past 10 years (304% versus 100% respectively), North Atlantic Smaller Companies Investment Trust (NAS) remains under the radar of most investors.Those already owning the shares are rarely willing sellers, says manager Christopher Mills. 'A lot of our shareholders have been with us forever. We started wit

Among the best kept investment secrets is the fact smaller companies typically outperform larger companies over the medium and long term thanks to characteristics ranging from innovation and faster organic growth to entrepreneurial management, agility in the face of change and the greater likelihood of a takeover bid.Within the UK's small cap funds and investment trusts sectors is an elite cohort

In the same way investors can make a mint by backing a mythical '10-bagger' early doors, fund fanatics can make big gains by catching an investment trust on the way up, before it begins its rise through the market capitalisation ranks and potentially even joins the likes of Scottish Mortgage (SMT), 3i (III) or Pershing Square Holdings (PSH) in the FTSE 100.We can never know with certitude which in

What's the secret of a fund's success? Using data from the industry body AIC (Association of Investment Companies) we have identified and canvassed the views of the people running the investment trusts which have performed best for investors in 2015.We quiz them on what's gone right and how they are positioning themselves for 2016. We also include VCTs (venture capital trusts) which fall under the