Retail fund sales show changed behaviour

Recent market volatility seems to have modified the behaviour of retail investors according to the latest statistics from the Association of Unit Trusts and Investment Funds (Autif).

Morningstar.co.uk Editors 25 April, 2001 | 4:47PM
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The traditional end of season rush into unit trusts and Open Ended Investment Companies in the run-up to the end of the tax year was far more muted than in previous years. Total gross sales of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) for January 1st-April 5th 2001 were £3.4bn compared to £5.1bn for the corresponding period of the previous year.

Regular savings plans also continued to gain popularity. The number of such plans has increased in every quarter since the third quarter of 1999.

Sales by Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) were lower in 2000-2001 than the previous year. IFAs were still the largest single sales channel, with

41% of sales last year, but this compared with over half in the previous year.

Distortion

Autif’s statistics were slightly distorted by one company which overstated its ISA sales by £300m over the 16 months till the end of the last tax year. The trade association declined to name the fund management group involved.

The sales figures for March brought some large discrepancies between the behaviour of retail investors and institutions. For example, retail investors were responsible for a net outflow of £15.6bn from Japan funds while institutions made a net inflow of £49.3bn.

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