Advisers poured investors’ money into closed-end funds in 2014, with investment during the first three months of the year bouncing 23% and hitting an all-time high of £107 million – up from £87 million in the similar period in 2013. This takes total assets under management in investment trusts to £115 billion.
The Global sector and UK Equity Income investment company sectors were the most popular among advisers, as positive economic data in the developed world, and rising markets buoyed confidence. It was not just investment trusts that felt the boost in investor confidence, as advisers traded more products than ever on adviser platforms in the first three months of the year.
Platforms including Transact, Alliance Trust Savings and Ascentric saw advisers make £22 billion worth of investment into all products – including open and closed-end funds – in the three months to the end of March, up from £20 billion in the previous quarter.
Ian Sayers, director general of the Association of Investment Companies who collated the figures said that it was encouraging that the first three months of the year were another record quarter for investment company purchases on adviser platforms.
“Though sales have increased, we should remember that this trading activity all helps to improve liquidity,” he said. “Demand for adviser training remains high, and the AIC has a busy training programme planned for the autumn.”
The AIC also revealed that charges had fallen significantly on some investment trusts, with some dropping their performance fee.
Fidelity was among the houses that cut fees in March this year, with Morningstar analyst Jackie Beard commenting at the time: “This will be a hit for shareholders and we’ve yet to see the impact on the fund’s ongoing charges, but we like the moves the asset manager and boards have made and believe it’s a solid step in the right direction.”
Richard Troue, head of Investment Analysis, at platform Hargreaves Lansdown said that it was encouraging to see some investment companies making a concerted effort to reduce management fees and on-going charges.
“In particular the removal of performance fees from seven companies should be commended. Performance fees are more often than not overly complex, making it difficult for retail investors to understand the circumstances under which a performance fee could be payable, and the impact it could have on overall charges,” he said. “We would urge the boards of other investment companies to follow suit.”