Institutions desert investment funds

Institutional fund investment, such as pension funds, was £1.43 billion less in April 2002 than in April 2001. Yet retail investment fell only slightly, to £1,654m from £1,919m for the same time period.

Morningstar.co.uk Editors 27 May, 2002 | 1:39PM
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Institutional investors were net sellers in April, divesting £450m according to the latest figures from the Investment Management Association (IMA). The reallocation of fund supermarket sales from institutional figures into its own section in retail sales accounted for £296m of this over £1.4 billion shift.

Yet this decrease reflects a general trend in the industry rather than the movements of one or two firms. By comparison institutions only sold £7m of funds more than they bought in March 2002.

Total net sales fell slightly from the previous month but significantly from the same time last year. In April total net sales, combi

ning both retail and institutional figures, fell to £1,204m from £1,321m in March and £2,897m in April of last year.

Investors scrambling to buy last minute Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) before the end of the tax year on April 5th pushed sales of ISAs over £1 billion for the first time since April 2001. Some £1,151m of ISAs were sold in April compared with £834m last month.

The UK All Companies sector was the most favoured on the retail side but least favoured by institutions, illustrating the often contrary views of these two types of investors. Net sales for this sector by retail and institutional investors were £311m and – £431m respectively.

Institutions liked the Far East excluding Japan and the UK Gilt sectors but were also less keen on the Balanced Managed sector. The UK Corporate Bond sector was the other favourite for retail investors who this month shunned the Guaranteed/Protected and UK Equity & Bond Income categories.

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