Woodford fund suspension one year on: Liquidity mismatch remains 'elephant in room'

The issues and questions yet to be answered

"Big questions remain" as to whether the asset management industry has learned its lesson from the collapse of Neil Woodford's LF Woodford Equity Income fund this time last year, according to investment professionals, who warn that liquidity mismatches in open-ended funds remain the "elephant in the room".

On 3 June 2019, so-called star manager Neil Woodford's LF Woodford Equity Income fund suspended trading following withdrawals of approximately £560m over a four-week period, which was exacerbated by the vehicle's significant proportion of illiquid holdings. On 15 October, Link Fund Solutions (LFS), the firm's authorised corporate director (ACD) sacked Woodford and wound up the flagship fund.  Woodford shut his entire business down hours later. The fund is now technically run by LFS and named LF Equity Income, although Park Hill is responsible for shifting its £500m portfolio of illiqu...