Where are investors investing?

It’s always interesting to see how others are investing.

The latest figures from the Investment Management Association (IMA) show net retail sales of investment funds reached £2.2bn in July 2013.

This is the highest level of investment in funds since April 2011 and resulted in total assets under management reaching a record £744bn.

So investors are clearly investing, but how are they allocating their money?

Equities remain the most popular asset class, with net retail sales of £1.4bn in July.

This was their highest level since December 2010, suggesting that investors are returning to risk assets and growing more confident about their investment decisions.

The best-selling investment sector is IMA Mixed Investment 20-60% Shares with net retail sales of £291m. This is well above its monthly average of £198m for the past twelve months.

This was followed closely by IMA UK Equity Income with net retail sales of £283m, also well above its monthly average of £140m for the past twelve months.

In third place was IMA Global, with net retail sales of £226m.

On a regional basis, global equities were the best selling in July 2013 with net retail sales of £515m, as investors look to diversify their equity holdings away from traditional UK holdings.

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