Money Management found that investors searched for safety in October’s market correction in Australian listed property, with the sector experiencing a one per cent uptake in searches in the last 12 months.
Last year, the Australian listed property sector experienced a 2.24 per cent research share, which compares to a 3.25 per cent research share in October this year.
The one per cent uptake is the biggest of all sectors but is closely followed by global small/mid-cap equities, which experienced a 0.9 per cent increase in searches, up to 2.38 per cent from 1.48 per cent the previous year.
It seems investors were looking to defensive assets as well, with the cash-enhanced sector experiencing a 0.75 per cent increase in searches from the previous year. Global bonds also seemed to spike investor interest with a 0.55 per cent uptake in searches on the previous year.
Alternatives have seen an increase of around 0.15 per cent, which mirrors sentiment that investors are after funds with diversification benefits, and even emerging markets have spiked 0.22 per cent despite trade tensions.
Global equities were hit with the biggest fall in searches, down 2.49 per cent on the previous year, suggesting geopolitical concerns have plagued investors.
North American equities, Asian equities, global equities and even Australian equities have seen a fall in searches ranging between 0.19 per cent and 0.05 per cent, suggesting investors are seeking more stable investments.
The top searched fund in October was the Antipodes Global fund with 330 searches, but it didn’t experience a significant increase on the year before.
The Allan Gray Australian Equity fund also ranked number one for searches in October, but again did not experience a significant change from last year.
Big names like Magellan, Platinum, Pan Tribal and Maple-Brown Abbott were also top searches in October, but the Firetrail Absolute Return actually experienced the biggest spike in searches, surging to 0.58 per cent from 0.046 per cent the previous year.
Maple-Brown Abbott Global Listed Infrastructure and Fidelity Australian Opportunities saw a shift of 0.47 per cent and 0.43 per cent, and the Magellan High Conviction fund saw a search shift of 0.42 per cent on the previous year.
The chart below shows the performance of the Maple-Brown Abbott, Fidelity and Magellan funds for the year to last month’s end.
