Product launches dry up as fund groups focus on pricing

The UK has seen a sharp drop in new fund launches at the start of 2014, attributed to administration backlogs, pricing overhauls and Neil Woodford's forthcoming new venture.

The first two months of 2014 saw a fall in the number of fund launches in the UK compared to the same period last year, as fund pricing took centre stage in the post-RDR environment. Data compiled by Lipper for Investment Week shows the number of UK-domiciled funds fell sharply in January and February this year. Last year, January and February together saw 61 new launches for sale in the UK. The same period this year has seen just 38 funds launched for sale in the UK. Fund buyers have noticed this trend and attribute it, in part, to the focus on pricing, which has kept most fund ho...