Bonds continue to magnetize investors
Bond sales in Europe were up 17.3bn in March due in large part to strong appetite for global, emerging market and flexible products according to data provided by Lipper.
Bond sales in Europe were up 17.3bn in March due in large part to strong appetite for global, emerging market and flexible products according to data provided by Lipper.
European bond fund sales tumbled to a nine-month low in February at just 9.4bn, in line with a general trend, according to Lipper data.
Long-term funds attracted their highest monthly inflows in seven years in January, with both bond and equity sales contributing to the strength in numbers, according to Lipper data.
Pimco was the leader of the pack in terms of group inflows in 2012 securing the US giant the top spot in average annual sales over the past decade, according to data released by Lipper.
Cross-border funds attracted their second highest amount in the past ten years in 2012, accounting for nearly half of all European fund assets, according to the latest report from Lipper.
The danger of retail investors pouring into an asset class on its way down from a performance high gained further support from a Lipper report released today.
Sales of long-term funds in Europe are expected to have reached more than 200bn last year, figures from Lipper suggest.
The amount of money ran in the European exchange-traded funds (ETFs) industry rose by over one-fifth in the past year, according to Lipper, although maintaining this pace of growth may prove challenging.
Bond funds achieved record sales in Europe during October, according to Lipper, with products across the whole sector attracting investor interest.
The European mutual funds industry witnessed further consolidation in the third quarter as fund closures outnumbered new launches, data from Lipper shows.
Investors demonstrated greater confidence across European mutual funds during September, data from Lipper shows, although attention remained focused on bonds.
The fact the ten most-purchased mutual funds in Europe have attracted nearly a third of total net sales year-to-date points quite the accusatory finger at fund pickers.