Across Europe, none of the top five moved from their 2016 positions, with JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM), Fidelity, Pictet Asset Management and Schroders following Blackrock as the most-favoured brands.
In the UK, Schroders, Fidelity and M&G Investments gained ground, while Invesco slipped alongside Blackrock.
Blackrock is the world’s largest asset manager with AUM $6.3trn, while JPMAM holds $2.8trn and Fidelity manages $2.1trn.
Mackay Williams joint chief executive Diana Mackay noted it was the so-called “squeezed middle” that flourished in 2017 with mid-tier brands progressing the most in the rankings.
Mackay said: “The ability to tell a compelling story has become a key differentiator, but it’s not just a matter of dispensing a good investment story. Those groups that made the most brand progress used their stories to reveal a purpose or conviction beyond the simple delivery of performance.”
Robeco, Carmignac and Pimco were all able to advance their brands in this way, the results showed. They respectively hold €161bn, €56bn and $1.8trn in AUM, according to the firms’ websites.
T Rowe Price, Capital Group and Polar Capital also advanced up the brand rankings. While T Rowe Price holds $1trn in AUM and Capital Group manages $1.6trn, Polar Capital manages £11.7bn.
Fund Brand 50 is informed by interviews with about 1,000 fund buyers representing €3.2trn in assets.
Top third-party asset-management brands in UK
| Fund Group | Brand rank Dec. 2017 | Brand rank Dec. 2016 | Rank diff. |
| Schroders | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Fidelity | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Blackrock | 3 | 1 | -2 |
| M&G Investments | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| Invesco | 5 | 3 | -2 |
