Dutch assets under management totaled a record €660 billion ($908.9 billion) as of March 31, a 2.5% increase from three months earlier, with a shift to equities from bonds, according to Dutch financial regulator De Nederlandsche Bank.
Statistics released by the DNB show investments in equities increased 4% over the three-month period.
DNB attributed the increase in assets under management to net inflows, investment returns and including private equity fund investments in the calculations for the first time, following the expansion of the definition of “investment funds” in the eurozone.
Institutional investors were the primary contributors to net new inflows of €1 billion, and favored equities and real estate at the expense of bonds, according to DNB's statement accompanying the figures.
Equities attracted €4.9 billion of assets and real estate funds added €900 million overall. Bond funds overall suffered net outflows of €1.7 billion, while hedge funds also reported €700 million of net outflows. DNB said that was a turnaround from the quarter ended Dec. 31, when equities withdrawals were a net €2.9 billion, while fixed-income strategies attracted €4.4 billion of net inflows.
