Managed funds a firm favourite for investors

Managed funds continue to be the preferred investment option for Australians, according to a new survey of 4,500 investors.

In it’s bi-annual investor opinion barometer, investment manager Elderslie Finance found that 52 per cent of respondents thought that managed funds were the most appealing investment on the market, followed by Australian shares (22 per cent) and listed property (10 per cent).

This marks a change from data gathered six months previously, which found fixed interest securities the second most appealing investment.

The research also found that two-thirds of the 4,500 investors questioned think security is the most important attribute of an investment.

The ability to produce a regular income is the second most popular attribute, at 16 per cent. Tax effectiveness, access to capital, and high returns were considered least important.

Elderslie Group director Luis Garcia said: “While the issue of security is not unusual, it was surprising that more investors are not driven by income and return.”

In terms of residential investment, the survey found that Brisbane is considered the best value by 33 per cent of investors, followed by Perth. Only 17 per cent named Sydney as their preferred location.

However, Garcia said the survey was conducted prior to the abolition of the vendor tax in New South Wales and “so it will be interesting to see how this development affects investor sentiment in the new survey”.

Investors were also confident that interest rates would remain unchanged, with only 23 per cent expecting a rise in the near future.