Net sales of UCITS and AIFs totalled EUR174 billion in December, significantly up from the EUR78 billion recorded in November, according to the latest Investment Fund Industry Fact Sheet from The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA).
UCITS recorded net inflows of EUR121 billion, compared to net inflows of EUR75 billion in November, while long-term UCITS (UCITS excluding money market funds) recorded EUR96billion of net sales, up from EUR72 billion in November.
Equity funds meanwhile, registered net inflows of EUR59 billion, just as in November, with bond funds registering net sales of EUR26 billion, compared to EUR8 billion in November. Multi-asset funds recorded net inflows of EUR9 billion, up from EUR4 billion in November.
UCITS money market funds recorded net inflows of EUR25 billion, compared to EUR4 billion in November.
AIFs recorded net inflows of EUR53 billion, significantly up from EUR3 billion in November.
Total net assets of UCITS and AIFs increased by 2.3 per cent to EUR18,815 billion.
Thomas Tilley, Senior Economist, says: “Net sales of UCITS and AIFs surged to an absolute record in December 2020, as investor confidence in a successful exit from the Covid-19 crisis continued to strengthen.”
Bernard Delbecque, Senior Director for Economics and Research, says: “The increase in net sales of UCITS in 2020, despite the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, is a strong vote of confidence for UCITS. Overall, investors remained confident in the ability of the European investment fund industry to generate returns and minimise risks. This is encouraging for the future because the success of the Capital Markets Union largely depends on the willingness of European households to shift a greater share of their savings into capital market instruments.
