Fund sales slump in 2001

Net retail sales of investment funds fell to £9.3bn last year compared with £17.7bn in 2000 according to figures from the Association of Unit Trusts and Investment Funds (AUTIF). Sales of Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) dropped to £6.7bn compared with £11.0bn over the same period.

Morningstar.co.uk Editors 29 January, 2002 | 4:17PM
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But there was some positive news in the December figures with net retail sales increasing to £629m from £569m in November. Over the same period net ISA sales were slightly down at £260.0m against £267.9m in November.

Over the year funds which invested in shares lost ground to other types of product. The proportion of funds sold in equity sectors fell to 71% in 2001 against 81% in 2000 while bond funds increased to 19% from 12%. Managed funds and cash funds also gained in popularity.

Open Ended Investment Companies (OEICs) continued to gain ground against the traditional unit trust. OEICs accounted for 35% of funds under managemen

t compared with 27% in 2000, 18% in 1999 and 8% in 1998.

Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) increased their share to account for 64% of gross retail sales in 2001. In contrast only 14% of funds were sold direct to the public.

Meanwhile, AUTIF and the Fund Managers Association have agreed to merge. The combined organisation, which will come into being on February 1st, will be known as the Investment Management Association (IMA).

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