If there is one thing the fund management industry likes it’s an anniversary. Depending on the success of a fund, accompanying press releases always seem to mark a one-year anniversary, while getting to three years is a bigger deal in the hope it will hit the radar screens of those who apparently don’t consider such…
Global fund managers have begun 2018 in bullish mood, dropping cash balances to a five-year low and increasing equity exposures to a two-year high, according to the latest BofA Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey.
Having hit 3.1% in November, the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) 12-month rate fell to 3% in December, prompting suggestions UK inflation may have peaked.
With net retail sales of some £7.25bn in the first 11 months of 2017, it’s fair to say last year was a good year for the IA Sterling Strategic Bond sector.
Net retail sales of Sterling Strategic Bond funds neared £1.5bn for the second month in a row in November 2017, taking the total raised by the sector for the year to £7.25bn, according to the Investment Association.
Despite a drop in quarterly sales, investment trust purchases on fund platforms in the first nine months of 2017 have surpassed all records data compiled by Matrix Financial Clarity shows.
Whenever a fund manager has a prolonged period of success in their area, certain terms get bandied about as to their status within that field. One favourite used by journalists is ‘guru’, indicating a manager has moved on from ordinary status, to the extraordinary.
Nearly 10 years after launching, Iboss continues to go from success to success. Co-founder Chris Metcalfe puts this down to fortuitous timing and the value of having a good reputation behind the brand.
Despite a lacklustre year for returns, investors flocked into fixed income funds in 2017 with some £11bn invested into the various Investment Association sectors until the end of October.
The average cash balance held by global fund managers jumped for the first time in four months in December according to the latest BofA Merrill Lynch fund manager survey.
In an environment of protracted Brexit negotiations, continued political uncertainty and weaker economic growth, investors generally lost faith in UK equities in 2017 with many migrating to global and absolute return funds.
Secondary fundraising within investment trusts hit an all-time high of £6bn in 2017, up £1bn on last year, according to research from the Association of Investment Companies.
