Unit Investment Trust Data
March 2004

Washington, DC, April 28, 2004 - Unit investment trusts, investment companies that hold fixed portfolios of selected stocks or bonds, had total deposits of $1.35 billion in March 2004, according to statistics compiled by the Investment Company Institute. For comparison, deposits were $1.13 billion in February 2004 and $784.8 million in March 2003.

Total Deposits by Trust Type (thousands of dollars)
		March 2004	February 2004	March 2003
Equity		1,086,596	875,501	508,037
Taxable Debt		75,739	103,016	118,820
Tax-Free Debt		189,268	146,716	157,905
Total		1,351,603	1,125,233	784,762

There were 59 new trusts issuing shares in March. Of that total, 30 were equity trusts, 28 were tax-free bond trusts, and one was a taxable bond trust.

In terms of maturity, intermediate bond trusts having an average weighted maturity between 5 and 15 years were the most commonly offered in March, with $141.8 million in shareholder deposits.

Data on the market value of unit investment trusts issued and outstanding as of year-end 2003 indicates a total of 7,233 trusts with a value of $35.83 billion. According to reports of sponsors, at year-end 2003 there were 5,707 tax-free bond trusts, with a market value of $13.50 billion; 320 taxable bond trusts, with a market value of $3.31 billion; and 1,206 equity trusts, with a market value of $19.02 billion.