Whittaker backs insurers and high street names for 2013

Querns' Stephen Whittaker is backing consumer and financial stocks to outperform in 2013, following an overhaul of his income portfolio last year and the departure of co-manager Phil Roantree.

Ex-New Star manager Whittaker (pictured) is invested in several consumer-facing names in the Querns Monthly Income fund, although he acknowledges times are tough on the high street. He said the key will be to select those stocks with a strong business model which stand to gain from the demise of their competitors. “We added Halfords in the summer when it had a profit warning, and it has since done well from the Olympics. TUI Travel benefited from the problems Thomas Cook had – if you are the last man standing, you tend to do well,” he said. “The high street will be strained but off...