Net sales of UCITS and AIFs amounted to EUR221 billion in 2018 (EUR940 billion in 2017), with UCITS net sales reaching EUR115 billion (EUR738 billion in 2017), according to the European Fund and Asset Management Association’s (EFAMA) latest Investment Fund Industry Fact Sheet.
Long-term UCITS net sales totalled EUR125 billion (EUR669 billion in 2017), with equity funds recording net inflows of EUR 108 billion, down from EUR158 billion in 2017, and bond funds registering net outflows of EUR32 billion (compared to net inflows of EUR314 billion in 2017). Net sales of multi-assets funds totalled EUR71 billion (EUR181 billion in 2017), while other UCITS registered net outflows of EUR22 billion (compared to net inflows of EUR16 billion in 2017).
Money market funds registered net outflows of EUR10 billion (compared to net inflows of EUR69 billion in 2017).
Bernard Delbecque (pictured), Senior Director for Economics and Research, says: “2018 can only be judged in the light of the net sales of UCITS reached in 2017, which were truly exceptional and followed several good years of net sales. Investors have grown more cautious in 2018, and this caution has been reinforced by the sentiment that stock markets might have reached exceedingly high levels and that monetary policy had reached a pivotal point. Undeniably, Trump’s threats on trade tariffs and the growing social and political instability in Europe have also raised investor concerns. The good news, however, is that UCITS and AIF continued to record positive net sales in 2018. This confirms that investment funds remain attractive investment products even during turbulent times because they possess proven qualities in terms of transparency, risk diversification, investor protection and net returns.”
