The firms took global net flows of $300bn (£179bn, €218bn) during 2013 according to Strategic Insight’s annual list of the world’s highest cash flow investment fund managers.
Actively managed funds accounted for nearly 60% of the $1trn annual net flow into funds worldwide.
JP Morgan topped the list with flows eclipsing $61bn, nearly double the amount it drew the previous year.
The list was dominated by US managers, with BlackRock, Dimensional Fund Advisors, MFS, and Goldman Sachs each capturing over $20bn through actively managed funds, gaining them places in the top five.
Flows outside the US were essential to many of the top firms, with more than 60% of the flows to JP Morgan, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton coming from international sources.
Three-quarters of all the flows to actively managed funds across the entire industry went to products sold outside the US.
Strategic Insight said that JP Morgan’s success was driven by income themes. Five of their best-selling funds outside the US and four out of the top five funds inside the US were all income products.
Other fund managers also utilised income products in 2013, with income funds accounting for 13% of bond fund assets in Europe and cross-border markets. This marks a rise from 8% in the previous five years.
The company also said that strong rotations last year into equity funds, multi-asset vehicles, and alternative investment strategies were supportive in the growth of many companies.
“A wide range of investment firms running actively managed funds were among the world’s highest cash flow beneficiaries,” said Jag Alexeyev, head of global research at Strategic Insight.
“Active and high conviction investment management remains the cornerstone of the fund industry, especially outside the US market.”
The British asset management firm Schroders was twelfth in the list, capturing $14bn in net flows. This morning Schroders announced a record 41% increase in profit, despite their net inflow declining by 16%. Their profits totalled £507m, nearly £150m up on the £360m they made in 2012.
