Mutual funds companies endured another month of net redemptions in September, as continued outflows from money market funds outpaced positive net sales in long-term funds.

The Investment Funds Institute of Canada reported Friday that overall net redemptions were $82.1 million in September, more or less flat from net redemptions of $83.3 million in August, but down notably from net redemptions of $733.9 million in September 2009.

The overall sales picture in September was comprised of $1.24 billion in long-term fund net sales, offset by $1.32 billion in money market net redemptions. Long-term fund sales were up from $606.8 million in August, but down from $1.98 billion in September 2009. Money market redemptions were almost double August’s total of $690 million, but less than half of September 2009’s total of $2.72 billion.

IFIC says that most of the assets fleeing money market funds is nevertheless staying at the same financial institution, moving into premium savings accounts instead. “There has been too much focus on money market fund redemptions,” says Jon Cockerline, director, policy at IFIC. “What we have shown this month is that this money is staying within the system and is often staying at the same institution.”

“When you remove this noise, you are left with some of the strongest year-to-date long-term fund sales of the last decade, and long-term fund assets approaching pre-downturn highs,” he added.

Fixed income funds led the sales charts in September, with $1.68 billion in net sales, up from last month’s $1.1 billion, and in line with last September’s sales. Balanced fund net sales were up slightly to $888.8 million in the month, whereas equity funds had net redemptions of $1.34 billion in September (flat from August, but higher than September 2009’s $1.01 billion).

Dynamic Mutual Funds held top spot on the sales charts for September, with $278 million in overall net sales. Sentry Investments and CIBC Asset Management were the only other firms with more than $100 million in overall monthly net sales.

RBC is the top-selling firm on the long-term side, with $422 million in monthly net sales, outpacing Dynamic’s $289 million, CIBC’s $240 million, and TD Asset Management’s $223 million. However, RBC also had $373 million in net redemptions from its money market funds, leaving it with modestly positive overall net sales for the month.

IFIC also reported that mutual fund assets totaled $630.9 billion at the end of September, up $19.3 billion or 3.2% from August. Assets increased by $35.6 billion or 6.0% since the beginning of the year and by $48.2 billion or 8.3% since September 2009.

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