Top Global Equity Funds Bought and Sold in 2025
In 2025, global equity funds saw significant trends in investor behaviour, with a notable preference for low-cost, index-based strategies over traditional active management. This year marked a pivotal shift as investors sought broad exposure to the global markets.
Top Global Equity Funds Bought and Sold in 2025
Passive Funds Capture Inflows
Data from FE Analytics revealed that passive global equity funds attracted greater investor interest than active funds for the first time since 2015. Major players that benefitted from this trend included:
- Fidelity Index World: £1.7 billion net inflows, assets rose to £14.1 billion.
- Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index: £1.5 billion in new money, increasing assets to £7.1 billion.
- L&G International Index Trust: Over £1 billion inflows, lifting assets significantly.
- Other notable mentions:
- Vanguard FTSE Developed World ex-UK Equity Index (£483 million)
- HSBC FTSE All World Index (£313 million)
- Various ESG funds, including:
- Fidelity Index World ESG Screened (£349 million)
- HSBC Developed World Lower Carbon ESG Tilt (£226 million)
- L&G Future World ESG Tilted (£250 million)
Active Funds Face Challenges
Despite the dominance of passive funds, certain active global equity strategies managed to secure substantial inflows. Top performers included:
- WS Purisima Global Total Return: Attracted over £1 billion, with an additional £1.7 billion from performance gains.
- Orbis Global Equity: Added £228 million, notable for its high FE fundinfo Crown rating despite avoiding major tech stocks.
- WS Blue Whale Growth: Secured £142 million, led by manager Stephen Yiu.
- Artemis SmartGARP Global Equity: Received £98 million, highlighting its appeal among investors.
Heavily Sold Funds
On the downside, several long-established funds experienced significant outflows:
- Fundsmith Equity: The most sold fund, with £6.5 billion withdrawn, reducing assets from £22.5 billion to £16.1 billion.
- Other notable outflows included:
- Baillie Gifford Long Term Global Growth (£568 million).
- Baillie Gifford Positive Change (£594 million).
- Baillie Gifford Global Alpha Growth (£367 million).
- Sustainable and impact-focused funds also faced challenges. Funds such as Liontrust Sustainable Future Global Growth (£348 million) and Janus Henderson Global Sustainable Equity (£306 million) saw significant withdrawals.
Conclusion
The landscape of global equity funds in 2025 reflects a clear shift towards passive strategies. As investors continue to seek low-cost, diversified options, several traditional active funds have struggled to maintain their foothold. The coming years could further redefine investment strategies, as market conditions continue to evolve.
