Net cumulated assets of open-end investment funds rose to 663 million lei (198 million euros) at the end of the first quarter of this year, up by 4.7 percent compared to last year-end, according to data published by the National Union of Collective Placement Bodies (UNOPC), ACT Media news agency reports.

Net assets appreciated by 52 percent as against the similar period of last year.

If the increase of investors' number recorded at the end of Q1 were a mere 0.1 percent compared to previous year-end, bonds funds category would see an increase in the number of investors in the same period by 1.4 percent and the stocks funds by 1 percent.

The other fund categories registered a decline in the number of their investors.

Compared to the overall investors' number at the end of March, corporate investors accounted for just 1.6 pc of the total number of investors and held 53 pc of the net assets of this industry, with 3.5 pc less than at the end of 2006.