Investing
Revealed: The 20 best-selling funds in January
Investors continued to plough money into UK funds in January, with products that invest in less-known British companies proving particularly popular, analysis from Barclays Stockbrokers has shown.
The firm, which revealed a 37% year-on-year increase in the number of clients investing in funds, said 13 out of the top 20 most commonly purchased funds by clients last month had a UK focus.
The Cazenove UK Smaller Companies fund was the top purchased fund by clients for the sixth month in a row, despite the fund entering soft closure on 22 January (find out more about soft closures here).
However, clients were not lost for alternative UK smaller companies funds, as the R&M UK Equity Smaller Companies, Investec UK Smaller Companies and Marlborough UK Micro Cap Growth funds took third, fourth and sixth places respectively.
The AXA Framlington Biotech fund was the second most popular fund purchased by Barclay Stockbrokers clients in January. It was joined by a new entrant to the top 20 funds, the Polar Capital Healthcare Opportunities fund, showing growing investor interest in these related specialist funds.
The Aberdeen Property Share fund also continued to be a popular choice for those fund investors wanting to take advantage of the growth in the UK property market.
The Legg Mason Japan Equity fund appeared in ninth place this month, despite volatile performance, and was the only fund from the Japan sector in January’s top 20 funds. The list was completed by one fund from the Asia Pacific sector and two Global funds.
Alastair Thaw, director at Barclays Stockbrokers, said: “The beginning of 2014 has seen continued enthusiasm from our clients for UK focused funds, in particular UK Smaller Companies. We also see our clients seeking out more specialist investment opportunities where they arise, notably those funds in the healthcare and biotech, and property sectors.”
Barclays Stockbrokers Funds Market top 20 Funds January 2014:
| Rank | Fund | Sector |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cazenove UK Smaller Companies B Acc | UK Smaller Companies |
| 2 | AXA Framlington Biotech Acc | Specialist |
| 3 | R&M UK Equity Smaller Companies A Inc | UK Smaller Companies |
| 4 | Investec UK Smaller Companies A Acc | UK Smaller Companies |
| 5 | Cazenove UK Smaller Companies A Acc | UK Smaller Companies |
| 6 | Marlborough UK Micro Cap Growth A Acc | UK Smaller Companies |
| 7 | Unicorn UK Income A Inc | UK Equity Income |
| 8 | Baillie Gifford Global Discovery A Acc | Global |
| 9 | Legg Mason Japan Equity A Acc | Japan |
| 10 | Standard Life UK Equity Unconstrained Ret Acc | UK All Companies |
| 11 | Aberdeen Property Share A Acc | Property |
| 12 | Phoenix Chelverton UK Equity Income Ret Inc | UK Equity Income |
| 13 | Newton Asian Income Inc | Asia Pacific ex Japan |
| 14 | Liontrust Special Situations R Inc | UK All Companies |
| 15 | FundSmith Equity Direct T Acc | Global |
| 16 | Polar Capital Healthcare Opps GBP Inc | Specialist |
| 17 | Cazenove UK Opportunities B Acc | UK All Companies |
| 18 | Invesco Perpetual UK Aggressive Acc | UK All Companies |
| 19 | Unicorn Free Spirit A | UK All Companies |
| 20 | Neptune UK Mid Cap A Acc | UK All Companies |
