Canadian mutual funds companies generated $1.3 billion in net sales last month, pushing the total for the year to $12.0 billion, according to the Investment Funds Institute of Canada.

In December, long-term fund sales reached $2.31 billion, which was partly offset by money market net redemptions of $1.02 billion.

Long-term sales were down from the previous month’s $3.78 billion, and lower than in December 2009 when sales were $2.83 billion. Money market redemptions were also slower than in the previous month, and in the same month in 2009.

For the full year, long-term fund sales topped $29 billion, while money market net redemptions totaled $17.2 billion. IFIC notes that long-term fund net sales were the highest they have been over the last 10 years, outstripping the previous sales peak in 2007 ($27.3 billion).

“Long-term fund sales have been consistently strong throughout 2010 as has long term fund asset growth, which made 2010 a great year to be in the market,” said Jon Cockerline, director, policy at IFIC. “What we are really seeing in the mutual fund flows in 2010 is a return to the pre-downturn sales trend, an investor focus on balanced funds and fund-of-funds over other types of stand-alone funds.”

Fund of fund net sales in December were $1.58 billion, pushing the year to date total to almost $17.9 billion in net sales, which was just off the 2007 peak of $19 billion.

By asset class, balanced funds led the sales charts for the third consecutive month, with net sales of $2.41 billion in December. Balanced fund sales were $26.1 billion in 2010, more than doubling the 2009 total of $12.3 billion, IFIC says.

Fixed income funds had December net sales of $694.4 million, down from over $1 billion in the previous month. For the year, fixed income net sales were off a bit to $10.3 billion, down from $12.8 billion in 2009.

Equity funds had just under $800 million in net redemptions for the month, and over $7 billion in redemptions for the year (up from $3.7 billion in 2009).

Dynamic Funds led the net sales for December, with over $400 million worth. It was well ahead of second place Fidelity Investments Canada ULC, which had $281.9 million in net sales. CIBC Asset Management ranked third.

Dynamic also led the long-term net sales with just under $400 million, edging out RBC with $391.4 million. Again, CIBC took third spot.

IFIC also reported that total mutual fund assets finished the year at $635.7 billion, up 2.6% from the previous month, and up 12.3% from the start of the year.