Every month we look at the top funds, stocks and trusts that form investors’ portfolios.
Safety-conscious investors appeared to go for gold in February amid concerns about Trump tariffs and inflation, the latest user data from interactive investor shows.
But some investors are still hungry for adventure, with energy sector focused engineer John Wood Group shooting to the top of the stock picks for DIY investors alongside perennial favourites Nvidia and Tesla.
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When it comes to fund picks, the Royal London Short-Term Money Market fund continues its run of success in the top spot.
Vanguard’s S&P 500 Ucits ETF remains the most popular of index funds, which is unsurprisingly given the strength of the US stock market and the continuing rise of the Magnificent 7.
For trusts, investors remain loyal to Scottish Mortgage, which also sits firmly on MoneyWeek's portfolio of investment Trusts.
But what other stocks, funds and trusts are investors out of love with and what is drawing in attention? Using data from investment platform interactive investor (ii), here are the top investments made in the last month.
Most popular funds
Investors appear to be taking a cautious approach, with a mix of defensive positions and a global focus during February.
This could be a reflection of geopolitical concerns with continuing tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East, while inflation rose more than expected in the UK during January.
The most-bought active open-ended fund during February was Royal London Short Term Money Market, while another defensive play proving popular is iShares Physical Gold, which was the second most-bought in the index fund and exchange traded fund (ETF) table.
“Geopolitics has been driving the gold price higher over the past year or so. Escalating tensions in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine have prompted buying from central banks,” says Kyle Caldwell, funds and investment education editor at interactive investor.
“In addition to being seen as a hedge against economic uncertainty, another factor at play is inflation. Gold is widely viewed as an inflation hedge and some commentators think inflation could be higher than central bankers have forecast for 2025.”
More adventurous investors have opted for Jupiter India, Polar Capital Technology and Allianz Technology, the latter returning to the top 10 most-bought investment trust table for the first time since last September.
Top 10 active open-ended funds
- Royal London Short Term Money Market
- Fundsmith Equity
- Jupiter India
- Baillie Gifford American
- Artemis UK Select Fund
- Orbis Global Balanced Standard Fund
- Atemis US Smaller Companies
- L&G Cash Trust
- Artemis Global Income
- WS Blue Whale Growth Fund
Top 10 most purchased index funds or ETFs
- Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF
- iShares Physical Gold ETF
- Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity Fund
- L&G Global Technology Index Trust
- Fidelity Index World
- HSBC FTSE All World Index
- Vanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity
- Vanguard LifeStrategy 60% Equity
- Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index Fund
- iShares Core MSCI World UCITS ET
Most popular trusts
Scottish Mortgage continued to be the most purchased trust, helped by its exposure to tech. Its top 10 holdings include Nvidia, Tesla, Meta and ASML Holdings.
The top three investment trusts remained the same in February but there was movement elsewhere.
Assura fell from fourth to tenth place, and The Renewables Infrastructure Group was a new entrant to this list – coming in at ninth place.
Top 10 most purchased trusts
- Scottish Mortgage
- Greencoat UK Wind
- JP Morgan Global Growth & Income
- 3i Group
- F&C Investment Trust
- Polar Capital Technology
- Alliance Witan
- Allianz Technology
- The Renewables Infrastructure Group
- Assura
Most popular stocks
Energy sector focused engineer John Wood Group was surprisingly the top of the most bought stock during the month, as investors look to hunt down bargains.
"A trading update saw John Wood Group offering some reassurance regarding an ongoing audit review of its accounts by Deloitte but also detailing outlook forecasts below its own prior November estimates,” says Keith Bowman, equity analyst at interactive investor.
“A fresh approach from Dubai-based Sidara about a possible takeover offer added to investor interest. Wood Group shares fell 49% during February.”
Meanwhile, BAE Systems made a top ten entrance during the month after reporting soaring annual profits.
The defence equipment maker is also predicting a further gain in adjusted profits for the 2025 year ahead.
Bowman added: “A record order book of £77.8 billion, up 11% year-over-year, supports an expected gain in 2025 profits of up to 10%. BAE shares rose 15% during February.”
Computer chip maker Nvidia stayed in investor sights despite its recent financial performance.
“Elsewhere, results from Rolls Royce saw it announce an unexpected £1 billion share buyback programme, aiding continued investor interest, while Legal & General stayed in focus, helped by a dividend yield of over 8%.”
Top 10 most purchased stocks
- John Wood Group
- Nvidia
- Tesla
- Rolls Royce
- Palantir Technologies
- Glencore
- MicroStrategy
- Legal & General
- BAE Systems
- Eurasia Mining
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