The Investment Management Association says its monthly authorised investment fund statistics for June show the highest ever level of redemptions of fixed income funds.
The statistics showed that there were £624m of net redemptions of fixed income funds by retail investors, the highest ever, and that equity remained the best-selling asset class with net retail sales of £884m.
Total net fund sales of £1.1bn in June were in line with the 12 month average and Mixed Investment 20-60% shares were the best-selling sector.
Jonathan Lipkin, IMA director of public policy, said: "The highest ever net redemptions of fixed income funds by retail investors may have been a response to anxieties about future tapering by the Fed and other central banks. Net flows in June were instead driven by equity funds. In contrast to recent trends, investors showed a preference for UK equity funds in June, which saw the highest net retail sales since October 2006."
Funds under management were £714 billion at the end of June and Q2 2013 and net retail sales were £5.3 billion for Q2 2013 – the highest since Q2 2011. For the month of June 2013, net retail sales were £1.1 billion. Net sales to institutional investors saw an outflow of £1.7 billion in June 2013.
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In terms of asset classes, in June 2013, fixed income funds experienced their highest net retail outflow (£624 million) since IMA records began in 1992. Equity remained the best-selling asset class in June 2013 with net retail sales of £884 million.
Mixed Asset continued to be the second best-selling with net retail sales of £326 million. Property saw net retail sales of £132 million in June 2013 and £358 million in Q2 – the highest levels since July 2010 and Q2 2010 respectively.
UK equity funds were the best-sellers in June 2013 with net retail sales of £479 million – the highest since October 2006. This is the first time since May 2012 that Global Equity funds have been beaten as the top-selling equity funds region.
Global equity funds were the second best-sellers in June with net retail sales of £262 million and North America was the third best-selling sector both in June 2013 and Q2 2013 with net retail sales of £138 million and £407 million respectively.
In June 2013, Japan saw the highest monthly sales since August 2011 with net retail sales of £62 million.
Europe was the only region to see a net retail outflow in June 2013 at £66 million. Net retail sales for Funds of Funds in June 2013 were £333 million, £265 million of which was invested into funds managed by different asset management firms and £68 million was invested into funds run by the same firm.
Tracker funds saw net retail sales of £347 million in June. Net retail sales of ethical funds were £11 million.