Investors fled stock market at rapid pace

BRITISH investors pulled out of the stock market at a record pace last year, as Budget uncertainty sparked a flight to safe-haven assets.

- MAISIE GRICE

Equity fund outflows hit £6.7bn in 2025, twice the rate suffered in 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum, where outflows reached £3.3bn, according to global funds network Calastone.

December marked the seventh consecutive month of outflows, with investors withdrawing net £188m, bringing the total since June 2025 to £10.6bn and marking the longest selling spree on record.

Actively managed funds bore the brunt of outflows, shedding £18.9bn of capital in 2025, compared to inflows of £12.2bn for passively managed strategies.

Passive global equity funds also proved themselves more popular than active ones for the first time since 2015.