Why have fund investors shunned the Stock Exchange rally?
Equity funds posted yields of over 100% in the last year amid a
rebound of the Stock Exchange, but were only able to attract around
200 new investors, whilst monetary funds, with yields of 15% at the
most, drew in thousands of investors.
Some fund managers blame banks for the loss of interest in equity
funds, whilst others believe investors fear a return of the crisis.
Managers, however, admit that investors' trust is harder to earn
than to lose.
Last year, when the main index of the stock exchange BET
appreciated by over 60% and mutual funds fetched yields of up to
101.5%, which was the case of Active Dinamic fund, few investors
were able to enjoy this performance. More specifically, whilst at
the end of February 2009, 11,724 investors had invested in equity
funds, at the end of last year equity funds counted only 147 more
investors. Last year's progression is the opposite of what happened
three years ago, when the outbreak of the financial crisis in the
summer of 2007 "brought" another 800 new equity fund investors from
August until the end of the year, although yields of these funds
were dwindling.
"In 2006-2007 investors' reaction was less influenced by banks'
sales networks. At present, however, equity funds have lost much of
their appeal in part because banks sell their own money market
funds and bond funds, which affects sales of riskier products, such
as equity funds," said Eugen Voicu, president of investment
management company Aviva Investors, which manages over 53 million
RON in net assets.