Worldwide Mutual Fund Assets And Flows
First Quarter 2007

Washington, DC, August 8, 2007 - Mutual fund assets worldwide increased 4.6 percent to $22.72 trillion at the end of the first quarter of 2007. Net cash flow to all funds worldwide remained robust, at $417 billion in the first quarter, compared to $404 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006. Inflows to long-term funds were up slightly to $282 billion in the first quarter from $261 billion in the fourth quarter. Inflows to money market funds were $134 billion in the first quarter after reaching $143 billion in the fourth quarter.

The Investment Company Institute compiles worldwide statistics on behalf of the International Investment Funds Association, an organization of national mutual fund associations. The collection for the first quarter of 2007 contains statistics from 42 countries.

Worldwide Mutual Fund Assets
(trillions of U.S. dollars, end of quarter)

On a U.S.-dollar-denominated basis, asset levels increased in all investment categories. Assets of equity funds grew 4.4 percent, with $11.0 trillion in assets at the end of the first quarter of 2007. Bond funds were up 3.7 percent and money market funds grew 4.7 percent in the quarter. Assets of balanced/mixed funds increased 6.8 percent to $2.2 trillion at the end of the first quarter.

Worldwide Assets Of Equity, Bond, Money Market, And Balanced/Mixed Funds
(billions of U.S. dollars, end of quarter)

Net cash flow to mutual funds worldwide was $417 billion in the first quarter of 2007, with both long-term funds and money market funds experiencing aggregate net inflows. Equity fund flows worldwide were $118 billion in the first quarter, down from $150 billion in the fourth quarter. The Americas accounted for $80 billion of equity flows and the Asia/Pacific region for $43 billion of equity flows in the first quarter, compared to $79 billion and $36 billion, respectively, in the fourth quarter. Europe registered a net outflow of $5 billion in the first quarter versus a net inflow of $35 billion in the fourth quarter.

Net flows to bond funds strengthened to $69 billion in the first quarter of 2007, up from $40 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006. Net inflows to bond funds in the Americas accounted for $65 billion of net inflows in the first quarter and European bond funds posted $11 billion of net inflows. Bond funds in the Asia/Pacific region experienced net outflows of $7 billion. At $69 billion, first quarter inflows to balanced funds were the strongest since the first quarter of 2006.

Flows into money market funds were $134 billion in the first quarter, matching the pace of the second half of 2006. Net flows into money market funds in the Americas fell by more than half in the first quarter, to $70 billion from $146 billion in the fourth quarter. In contrast, European money market funds recorded a net inflow of $70 billion in the first quarter, compared to a net outflow of $7 billion in the fourth quarter.

Net Sales Of Mutual Funds Worldwide
(billions of U.S. dollars)

   

2005

2006

2007

   

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

All Funds

166

305

284

437

206

252

404

417

 

Equity

65

87

160

246

74

65

150

118

 

Bond

49

89

-14

65

-5

8

40

69

 

Money Market

*

59

81

28

71

124

143

134

 

Balanced/Mixed

26

37

34

73

48

38

45

69

 

Other

25

32

22

25

19

18

26

26

Less than $0.5 billion.
Note: Thirty-one countries reported in 2004:Q4; 32 countries reported in 2005:Q1, 2005:Q2, 2005:Q3, and 2005:Q4; 33 countries reported in 2006:Q1 and 2006:Q2; and 34 countries in 2006:Q3, 2006:Q4, and 2007:Q1. Assets of reporting countries represented 92 percent of assets of all countries at the end of 2007:Q1. Net sales are new sales plus reinvested dividends less redemptions plus net exchanges. Components may not sum to the total because of rounding.

Equity fund assets represented the bulk of all worldwide mutual fund assets: At the end of the first quarter of 2007, 48 percent of worldwide mutual fund assets were equity funds. The asset share of bond funds was 18 percent and money market funds were also 18 percent of the total. Balanced/mixed fund assets represented 10 percent of the total.

Worldwide Mutual Fund Assets By Type Of Fund, 2007:Q1
(percent)

Note: Other/unclassified includes the total net assets of Ireland.

By region, 52 percent of worldwide assets were in the Americas in the first quarter of 2007, 36 percent were in Europe, and 12 percent in Africa and Asia/Pacific.

Worldwide Mutual Fund Assets by Region, 2007:Q1
(percent)

The number of mutual funds worldwide stood at 62,522 at the end of the first quarter of 2007. By type of fund, 41 percent were equity funds, 22 percent were bond funds, 21 percent were balanced/mixed funds, and 5 percent were money market funds.

Worldwide Mutual Funds by Type of Fund, 2007:Q1
(percent)

Note: Other/unclassified includes total funds in Ireland.

Total Net Assets, 2002-2007:Q1
Billions of U.S. dollars, end of period

 

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

All Reporting Countries1

11,324

14,048

16,165

17,771

19,113

19,416

20,219

21,728

22,722

 

Equity

4,204

5,923

7,219

8,333

9,229

9,180

9,556

10,504

10,961

 

Bond

2,534

3,047

3,313

3,450

3,591

3,636

3,710

3,870

4,015

 

Money Market

3,190

3,206

3,323

3,364

3,413

3,557

3,685

3,864

4,045

 

Balanced/Mixed

918

1,198

1,445

1,566

1,717

1,802

1,923

2,048

2,187

 

Other

229

311

398

512

567

602

619

675

692

Countries Reporting in Every Period2

10,767

13,300

15,246

16,731

17,910

18,162

18,859

20,275

21,202

 

Equity

4,084

5,766

7,031

8,123

8,974

8,928

9,290

10,209

10,660

 

Bond

2,462

2,953

3,217

3,339

3,435

3,508

3,587

3,752

3,898

 

Money Market

3,159

3,157

3,254

3,289

3,329

3,449

3,571

3,736

3,917

 

Balanced/Mixed

860

1,128

1,364

1,485

1,624

1,695

1,812

1,924

2,060

 

Other

202

296

380

495

547

582

599

654

668

Source: National mutual fund associations; European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA, formerly FEFSI) provides data for all European countries except Romania and Russia.
1
Components may not sum to total because of rounding or unclassified funds.
2
Number of countries is 26. Components may not sum to total because of rounding.

Net Sales,1 2003-2007:Q1
Billions of U.S. dollars

 

2003

2004

2005

2006

2006

2007

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

All Reporting Countries2

317

457

971

1,299

437

206

252

404

417

 

Equity

283

357

416

535

246

74

65

150

118

 

Bond

177

109

224

108

65

-5

8

40

69

 

Money Market

-212

-120

120

365

28

71

124

143

134

 

Balanced/Mixed

56

82

108

203

73

48

38

45

69

 

Other

14

29

102

88

25

19

18

26

26

Countries Reporting in Every Period3

165

307

672

951

283

130

206

331

317

 

Equity

250

298

317

414

177

62

53

123

111

 

Bond

86

62

91

78

23

0

18

38

48

 

Money Market

-218

-131

128

336

26

47

117

147

113

 

Balanced/Mixed

40

69

112

102

52

17

14

20

35

 

Other

6

8

23

21

7

5

5

4

10

Source: National mutual fund associations; European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA, formerly FEFSI) provides data for all European countries except Romania and Russia.
1
Net sales are new sales plus reinvested dividends less redemptions plus net exchanges.
2
Components may not sum to total because of rounding or unclassified funds.
3
Number of countries is 18. Components may not sum to total because of rounding.

Number of Funds, 2002-2007:Q1
(End of period)

 

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

All Reporting Countries1

54,110

54,569

54,982

56,868

58,378

59,408

59,761

61,498

62,522

 

Equity

22,974

22,688

22,362

23,264

23,956

24,417

24,572

25,583

25,607

 

Bond

11,619

11,886

13,309

13,231

13,316

13,395

13,455

13,557

13,499

 

Money Market

4,394

4,974

3,623

3,536

3,574

3,603

3,498

3,407

3,407

 

Balanced/Mixed

11,228

11,465

11,603

11,393

11,790

12,117

11,992

12,515

13,069

 

Other

1,310

1,578

1,997

3,317

3,577

3,713

3,969

4,097

4,521

Countries Reporting in Every Period2

42,393

41,689

42,354

42,427

42,984

43,660

44,011

44,985

45,328

 

Equity

20,808

20,018

19,918

20,044

20,285

20,612

20,734

21,555

21,349

 

Bond

9,946

9,847

9,961

10,004

10,036

10,128

10,222

10,291

10,300

 

Money Market

2,674

2,652

2,899

2,799

2,818

2,818

2,710

2,595

2,590

 

Balanced/Mixed

7,723

7,857

8,095

7,857

7,962

8,152

8,335

8,465

8,784

 

Other

1,242

1,315

1,481

1,723

1,883

1,950

2,010

2,079

2,305

Source: National mutual fund associations; European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA, formerly FEFSI) provides data for all European countries except Romania and Russia.
1
Components may not sum to total because of unclassified funds.
2
Number of countries is 24.

  

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