All three funds have been lauded by recent FE Trustnet studies, including the £3.25bn Jupiter Merlin Income Portfolio, which was revealed as the most consistent multi-asset fund in the entire IMA unit trust and OEIC universe. According to FE data, it has outperformed its sector average in each of the last 12 calendar years.
The three Jupiter funds are among seven in the top-10 that are headed up by at least one FE Alpha Manager. Cofunds investors generally opted for high-profile funds with experienced managers at the helm last year, with the likes of Richard Woolnough’s M&G Optimal Income and Sterling Corporate Bond portfolios, and Neil Woodford’s Invesco Perpetual High Income portfolio all appearing in the top-20 list.
Top-20 best-selling funds in February
| Fund | IMA Sector |
| Neptune Balanced | Mixed 40-85% |
| Jupiter Merlin Growth Portfolio | Flexible Investment |
| M&G Optimal Income | Strategic Bond |
| Jupiter Merlin Balanced Portfolio | Mixed 40-85% |
| Cazenove MM Diversity | Mixed 20-60% |
| M&G Strategic Corporate Bond | Corporate Bond |
| Jupiter Merlin Income Portfolio | Mixed 20-60% |
| M&G Global Dividend | Global |
| Allianz RCM US Equity | North America |
| Premier Multi-Asset Distribution | Mixed 20-60% |
Source: Cofunds
Mixed-asset investments once again dominated the best sellers, with six of the top-10 funds sitting in either the Mixed 20-60%, Mixed 40-85% or Flexible Investment sectors. These include the Neptune Balanced and Jupiter Merlin Growth funds, which were the two top-selling funds last month.
North American funds also surged in popularity with advisers throughout February, attracting over a quarter of net sales. The Allianz RCM US Equity fund, managed by Seung Minn, was the most popular in its sector, with Threadneedle and AXA American funds also making it into the top-50 fund list.
Commenting on the results, Michelle Woodburn, manager of Cofunds' group relations said:
"Mixed-asset funds attracted the highest inflows last month, probably as they provide an asset allocation outsource solution for advisers. However, not all diversified sectors were in favour, with the Flexible Investment sector accounting for 78 per cent of outflows."
"Elsewhere, bond funds remained popular, whilst Global Emerging Market funds also saw a significant peak in February with 11 per cent of net sales. Within this sector, Aberdeen and First State remained the favoured funds, ranking 15th and 21st respectively," she finished.