Interactive Investor

Most-bought investments: February 2022

1st March 2022 13:44

Jemma Jackson from interactive investor

Time of crisis sees fund buyers cling to passives while others lean on volatility.

  • 24 February 2022 was interactive investor’s third busiest day ever for trades.

In a devastating month as a humanitarian crisis unfolded, interactive investor’s latest monthly list of the most-bought investments on the platform reflects at least some of the stock market responses that have played out for DIY investors.

Oil prices have shot up, new sanctions towards Russia have been announced, uncertainty prevails, and emotions run high. 24 February turned out to be interactive investor’s third busiest day ever for trades.

On the one hand, we have seen investors searching for more ‘does what it says on the tin’ style passives over actively managed strategies – prompting six Vanguard funds to dominate the top 10.

But we have also seen investors lean on this volatility, which may perhaps come as a surprise to some. This explains why stocks such as EVRAZ (LSE:EVR), feature in February’s top 10 of most-bought direct equities. We’ve also seen this reflected on the fund/trusts side, with JPMorgan Russian Securities (LSE:JRS) also making it into February’s most-bought investment trust. Scottish Mortgage (LSE:SMT) continues to be the most-bought investment trust.

Dzmitry Lipski, Head of Funds Research, interactive investor, says: “It clearly takes more than a tech sell-off, talk of a rotation to value, and a devastating crisis in Ukraine to knock Scottish Mortgage off the top spot. It is the inclusion of JPMorgan Russian Securities Investment Trust, which is the standout, and may surprise some. There will always be some contrarian investors who seek to lean on the dips, a strategy not for the faint-hearted.”

Direct equities in detail

Commenting on the most-bought equities on ii in February, Victoria Scholar, Head of Investment, interactive investor, says: “Demand for oil giants has gathered momentum in the month of February, with BP (LSE:BP.) among the most-bought stocks on ii. This has been underpinned by surging commodity prices amid geopolitical uncertainty between Russia and Ukraine. The recent focus on Moscow has also prompted activity in the mining sector, with Russian miner Evraz and Eurasia Mining (LSE:EUA), which has operations in Russia, entering the most-bought list in February.

“As we saw last month, rising interest rates and inflationary pressures has made financial stocks particularly attractive to DIY investors, although these companies have not been immune to much of the uncertainty surrounding the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Divided-paying FTSE 100 blue-chips like Lloyds (LSE:LLOY) and Barclays (LSE:BARC) remain popular.

“Many mining stocks have interest in Russia, plus – the underlying metals are rising in price because of the geopolitical uncertainty potentially weighing on the supply of them, therefore pushing up prices. Another top 10 entrant in February was Polymetal International (LSE:POLY).”

Investment trusts and funds in detail

On the investment trust side, Scottish Mortgage once again took the top spot in February – showing how investor confidence in technology is still proving resilient. Polar Capital Technology Trust (LSE:PCT) and Allianz Technology (LSE:ATT) also both made it into the top 10.

A newcomer, within the context of recent political tensions, to the most bought list is JP Morgan Russian Securities Investment Trust.

Capital Gearing (LSE:CGT) Trust also featured in February’s most-bought list, as investors continue to look at options which focus on wealth preservation as well as growth.

Commenting on the most-bought funds and trusts, Kyle Caldwell, Collectives Specialist, interactive investor, says: “We can still see some familiar names in our funds and investment trust tables: Vanguard, Fundsmith, and Baillie Gifford. But the star of the show in February was Vanguard. Although Vanguard’s funds often feature in our top 10 – this data does seem to demonstrate a slight difference in sentiment.

“In light of the sheer unpredictability of market events recently, some investors have turned to these ‘steady eddy’ Vanguard funds to help resist the temptation to react to, or anticipate, the stock market’s every move.”

Top 10 most-bought investments on interactive investor in February 2022

POSITION

FUND

INVESTMENT TRUST

EQUITY

1

Fundsmith Equity

Scottish Mortgage (LSE:SMT)

Lloyds (LSE:LLOY)

2

Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity

Polar Capital Technology Trust (LSE:PCT)

Rolls-Royce (LSE:RR.)

3

Vanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity

City of London (LSE:CLIG)

BP (LSE:BP.)

4

Vanguard LifeStrategy 60% Equity 

Smithson (LSE:SSON)

EVRAZ (LSE:EVR)

5

Baillie Gifford American

BlackRock World Mining (LSE:BRWM)

Eurasia Mining (LSE:EUA)

6

L&G Global Technology Index

Allianz Technology (LSE:ATT)

Barclays (LSE:BARC)

7

Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index

JPMorgan Russian Securities (LSE:JRS)

Int Cons Airlines(LSE:IAG)

8

Vanguard FTSE UK Equity Income Index

Capital Gearing (LSE:CGT)

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:FB)

9

Vanguard US Equity Index

Edinburgh Worldwide (LSE:EWI)

Polymetal International (LSE:POLY)

10

Rathbone Global Opportunities

Baillie Gifford US Growth (LSE:USA)

Legal & General (LSE:LGEN)

These articles are provided for information purposes only.  Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties.  The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.

Full performance can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website. Simply click on the company's or index name highlighted in the article.