Trends in Worldwide Investment Fund Industry in Q4 2016

Investment fund assets worldwide increased 4.8 percent during the fourth quarter of 2016 to EUR 41.29 trillion at end 2016. The year asset growth reached 9.9 percent. In U.S. dollar terms, worldwide investment fund assets totaled USD 43.53 trillion at end 2016.

Worldwide net cash inflows decreased from EUR 432 billion in the third quarter to EUR 388 billion in the fourth quarter, reflecting a sharp decrease in net flows into bond funds.

Long-term funds (all funds excluding money market funds) recorded net inflows of EUR 318 billion during the fourth quarter, compared to EUR 390 billion in the previous quarter. Equity funds recorded net inflows of EUR 114 billion, compared to EUR 40 billion in the Q3 2016. Bond funds recorded net inflows of EUR 107 billion, compared to EUR 253 billion in Q3 2016. Net inflows into balanced/mixed funds totaled EUR 64 billion, compared to EUR 59 billion in Q3 2016.

Money market funds registered net inflows of EUR 70 billion during the fourth quarter, compared to EUR 42 billion in the third quarter of 2016.

Overall in 2016, worldwide investment funds attracted net sales of EUR 1,180 billion, compared to EUR 1,973 billion in 2015. Worldwide long-term funds registered net inflows of EUR 1,118 billion in 2016, compared to EUR 1,605 billion in 2015.

At the end of 2016, assets of equity funds represented 40 percent and bond funds represented 22 percent of all investment fund assets worldwide.Of the remaining assets money market funds represented 12 percent and the asset share of balanced/mixed funds was 18 percent.

The market share of the ten largest countries/regions in the world market were the United States (47.6%), Europe (33.2%), Australia (3.7%), Brazil (3.7%), Japan (3.4%), Canada (3.0%), China (2.8%), Rep. of Korea (0.9%), India (0.5%) and South Africa (0.4%).

Stiri