15 Most Popular Funds in Europe

Funds from Templeton, PIMCO, JPMorgan and BlackRock were amongst European investors' most popular last month

Ali Masarwah 26 March, 2013 | 6:31PM
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While in January only three providers accounted for 10 of the 15 top-selling funds (Allianz/PIMCO, Franklin Templeton and M&G), PIMCO, JPMorgan, BlackRock, Standard Life and Pictet also feature on the European list this time round, representing a more diversified spread of investor assets.

Topping the list was the new Italian mixed-asset fund Gestielle Cedola Piu, which raked in a stunning EUR 1.28 billion within the initial subscription period. A strong runner-up was the Templeton Global Total Return fund, which also posted inflows of EUR 1.28 billion in February, marking yet another strong month on the back of a much-improved performance in 2012. PIMCO GIS Unconstrained Bond also had a strong month, gathering inflows of EUR 930 million.

JPMorgan Asia Pacific Income, a mixed-asset fund, had yet another strong month, pulling in EUR 715 million and bringing year-to-date total inflows to EUR 1.6 billion. This fund, which saw a strong performance rebound in 2012 after a poor showing 2011, has virtually dominated net sales of the Morningstar Asia allocation category for the last 12 months, outpacing the second-largest fund in the category, Schroder Asian Total Return, by a huge margin. BGF Global Allocation, which carries a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, also staged a comeback in February, enjoying the highest level of inflows since November 2009.

On the flip side, PIMCO flagship PIMCO GIS Total Return Bond fund saw outflows of EUR 220 million in February. PIMCO GIS Global Investment Grade and the AB American Income Portfolio were also much unloved in February, suffering outflows of EUR 420 million and EUR 400 million, respectively.

At the firm level, BlackRock grabbed the lead in February in a photo finish with PIMCO, closely followed by Franklin Templeton. JPMorgan and Aberdeen also saw hefty inflows. BlackRock profited two-fold from the investor surge into a broader asset mix with allocation and equity funds gathering handsome inflows year to date.

We note that PIMCO has benefitted from a broader product base than Franklin Templeton. The slump Franklin Templeton experienced last year in flows owed mainly to Templeton Global Bond. While PIMCO has seen PIMCO Total Return Bond and PIMCO Global Investment Grade--its two largest funds--suffer outflows, this has not substantially affected the relative positioning of PIMCO in the European sales rankings, as inflows into the PIMCO Unconstrained Bond, PIMCO Income, PIMCO Emerging Local Bond, and PIMCO Diversified Income funds more than offset the outflows from the larger offerings.

Aviva, Russell, Scottish Widows, Eastspring and Skandia suffered the highest outflows last month as redemptions out of GBP funds took their toll. Outflows from GBP diversified bond funds hit Aviva the hardest; Scottish Widows saw continued outflows out of UK large-cap and equity-income funds; and outflows from UK flex-cap equity funds hit Skandia.

Data Notes: The figures in this report were compiled on March 19, 2013. More than 26,000 of 30,000 funds that Morningstar tracks from 1,100 fund companies across 29 domiciles are included. Funds domiciled in Sweden are not included because they report assets on a quarterly basis only. BlueBay is not represented due to the firm’s disclosure policy.

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

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Ali Masarwah

Ali Masarwah  was the editor of Morningstar.de in Germany.

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