Unit Investment Trust Data
February 2004

Washington DC, March 25, 2004 - Unit investment trusts, investment companies that hold fixed portfolios of selected stocks or bonds, had total deposits of $1.13 billion in February, according to statistics compiled by the Investment Company Institute. For comparison, deposits were $1.91 billion in January 2004 and $651.4 million in February 2003.

Total Deposits by Trust Type
(thousands of dollars)

		February 2004	January 2004	February 2003
Equity		875,501	1,680,970	345,560
Taxable Debt		103,016	82,934	123,892
Tax-Free Debt		146,716	142,321	181,952
Total		1,125,233	1,906,225	651,404

There were 46 new trusts issuing shares in February. Of that total, 22 were equity trusts, 19 were tax-free bond trusts, and 5 were taxable bond trusts.

In terms of maturity, intermediate bond trusts having an average weighted maturity between 5 and 15 years were the most commonly offered in February, with $145.1 million in shareholder deposits.

Data on the market value of unit investment trusts issued and outstanding as of year-end 2003 are not yet available. Year-end 2002 data indicates a total of 8,303 trusts with a value of $36.02 billion. According to reports of sponsors, at year-end 2002 there were 6,690 tax-free bond trusts, with a market value of $17.35 billion; 366 taxable bond trusts, with a market value of $4.02 billion; and 1,247 equity trusts, with a market value of $14.65 billion.