The Pimco GIS Total Return Bond Fund came in first with inflows for the year estimated to be €7,732m. Its Global Investment Grade Credit Fund was fourth in the list, while its Diversified Income Fund followed in fifth place. These funds registered inflows of around €5,332m and €5,278m respectively.
Pimco, one of the world’s largest bond investors, operates as an autonomous subsidiary of Allianz. The latter firm also made an appearance in the top 10, with its US High Yield fund recording the ninth highest inflows of the year, at €3585m.
In addition, Pimco topped the list of fund promoters by capital inflows, attracting around €32,085m during 2012. This figure is more than double the amount achieved by second place Alliance Bernstein.
Just two of the firms in the top ten lists are not bond-focused. M&G and Aberdeen were ranked fifth and sixth, with inflows of around €7,993m and €7,975m respectively.
Bond funds enjoyed an unprecedented boom in 2012 with inflows of €176.5bn during the year, approximately 10 times the inflows of 2007 to 2011 combined.
