Funds under management rise 2% in April
Funds under management of UK domiciled investment funds were £459 billion in April, an increase of 2% from March and 19% from April 2006, according to the Investment Management Association (IMA).UK domiciled ISA funds under management of £55 billion were up 4% from the previous month and were 11% higher than the previous year.
ISA sales
Net sales of UK domiciled investment fund ISAs were £853 million in April, 60% higher than March, but were down 10% from April 2006.
The most popular UK domiciled ISA sector in April was UK All Companies, accounting for 21% of gross ISA sales.
UK domiciled net sales by asset class
Total net sales of UK domiciled funds were £1.7 billion in April, with equities accounting for inflows of £915 million. Of the £1.8 billion net retail sales, £1.2 billion was invested in equities, followed by £223 million in bonds.
Gross retail sales by sector and distribution channel
The most popular sector in April was UK All Companies, representing 19% of gross retail sales of UK domiciled funds. The sector was favoured by intermediaries and accounted for 18% of gross retail business through this channel.
The most popular distribution channel for UK domiciled funds in April was the intermediary channel representing 83% of gross retail business. Gross ISA sales of £639 million from fund supermarkets made them the dominant distributor of ISAs, followed by £422 million through sales force/tied agents.
Best selling sector for UK domiciled funds
The Specialist sector remained the most popular UK domiciled net retail sector once again with inflows of £488 million, of which £399 million was through the property funds in this sector. The sector with the biggest outflows in April was the Japan with net outflows of £62 million.
OVERSEAS FUNDS
Funds under management Overseas funds under management of £14 billion in April, saw a 9% increase from the previous month, while overseas ISA assets of £250 billion grew 8% from March.
Sales Total net sales of overseas domiciled funds reached £252 million in April, 14 times higher than the previous month. Overseas funds also saw net retail inflows of £172 million in April, a significant increase from the -£30 million in March.
ISA sales Net sales of overseas domiciled investment fund ISAs were £7.1 million in April, almost double those seen in March.
Summary of overseas domiciled funds - FUM and sales
Richard Saunders, Chief Executive of the IMA commented: "Net retail sales last month were at their highest levels for a year, bolstered by a good late ISA season. Specialist funds, notably property funds, were the best selling sector for the sixteenth consecutive month, followed by a strong showing from the UK equity income sector."