The UK accounted for 29.04% of total investment company assets in 2003 but by the end of April this year this figure had tumbled to 20.11%.
Retail-focused investment companies in the Global Growth/Global Growth & Income sectors have reduced their exposure to the UK by the largest proportion.
Securities Trust of Scotland, for example, has reduced its UK holdings from 80% of total assets to just 18%, while Martin Currie Global Portfolio has cut its UK exposure by 61 percentage points.
Hansa Trust had all of its assets invested in the UK in 2003, but currently UK based holdings account for a more modest 61%.
Elsewhere
The other seven G8 economies (Cananda, France, Germany, Italy Germany, Japan, Russia and the USA) account for much less investment company capital than the UK.
The USA accounts for the second largest proportion of investment company assets, 8.5%, an increase of 1.9 percentage points over the past decade.
Investment companies have also increased their exposure to Canada and Russia over the past 10 years, but they account for a much lower 0.44% and 0.68% of total investment company assets.
Alan Porter, manager, Securities Trust of Scotland said: “In August 2011, Securities Trust of Scotland moved to a global equity income portfolio, a change that has been well supported by shareholders and the wider market. Investing internationally offers both greater diversification and wider opportunities for returns. As a manager of a global equity income portfolio, I value the greater degree of choice a global approach presents. This is especially true when looking at individual markets on a sector-by-sector basis.
