Most popular ISA investments of 2022 so far

•    ISA investors keep the faith with Scottish Mortgage and Fundsmith Equity
•    Fund investors continue to back growth funds
•    ESG funds are proving more popular this ISA season
•    Investors may be looking to Blackrock World Mining for some inflation protection

Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, comments:

“ISA investors are keeping the faith with Fundsmith Equity and Scottish Mortgage, despite some weak performance in the first two months of this year. Scottish Mortgage fell by 25% and Fundsmith Equity fell by 13%, which compares to a 7% fall in the MSCI World Index over January and February. All active approaches will go through periods of underperformance, and so investors are absolutely right to look through the short term noise, particularly in light of the glittering returns these two funds have delivered in the last decade.

“Growth investing may have suffered a setback in global markets, but it still remains popular with DIY ISA investors, with Baillie Gifford continuing to capture investor flows, and Blue Whale Growth joining the top ten party too. The specialist investment trust Blackrock World Mining also features in the most popular trusts of 2022 so far. This trust invests predominantly in the shares of global metal mining companies, and as such is likely providing investors with a way to buy some protection against inflation

“ESG funds also appear to be making more inroads than last year, with three funds and trusts hitting the top ten list compared to just one over the same period in 2021. This year Baillie Gifford Positive Change, Liontrust Sustainable Future Global Growth and Impax Environmental Markets all make the top ten, while just the Baillie Gifford fund made the leaderboard this time last year.

“We’re now heading into the business end of the tax year when the 5th April deadline acts as a perennial catalyst for ISA investors to make the most of their allowance. The tax rises coming in April clearly make it even more of a priority for investors to shelter their savings from tax wherever possible. Those who are worried about inflation eroding cash returns, but also wary of the ups and downs of the stock market, might consider that they don’t need to invest their ISA as a lump sum. They can park it as cash and drip feed it into the stock market gradually, making for a smoother ride.”

Most popular funds, trusts and shares in AJ Bell Youinvest ISAs