The assets managed by the resident and non-resident investment funds, operating in Bulgaria, amounted to BGN 896.9 million as of June 2008, which is BGN 132.1 million (17.3%) up against BGN 764.8 million a year ago, the Bulgarian National Bank said in a press release today.

Compared to Marc 2008 assets are down by BGN 53.5 million (5.6%) from BGN 950.4 million to BGN 896.9 million.

The share of the assets managed by investment funds as compared to the amount of the deposits of the non-government sector in the banking system decreased from 2.7% (March 2008) to 2.5% (June 2008).

Assets of investment funds amounted to BGN 612 million as of June 2008, which is an increase by BGN 49.2 million (8.7%) compared to June 2007. (BGN 562.8 million). Compared to March 2008 the assets decreased by BGN 53.7 million (8.1%) from BGN 665.7 million to BGN 612 million as of June 2008.

Equity funds assets decreased by BGN 35.6 million (9.2%) from BGN 387.7 million (March 2008) to BGN 352.1 million (June 2008).

Mixed funds assets are down 7.2% from BGN 228.3 million (March 2008) to BGN 211.8 million (June 2008).

Equity funds held the highest share of the overall assets of resident investment funds as of June 2008 (57.5%) against 58.2% on March 2008 and 56.8% on June 2007. Mixed funds held 34.6% as of June 2008 against 34.3% In March 2008.

Among the instruments included in the portfolio of resident investment funds, the largest share belonged to shares and other equity (55.4%) against 57.5% as of March 2008, deposits (23.9%) against 24.3% as of March 2008 and securities other than shares (15.3%) against 13.4% as of Match 2008.

The currency breakdown of the resident investment funds assets as of June 2008 was prevailed by assets denominated in BGN (79.7%), against 81.2% as of March 2008, and EUR (14.2%), against 13.2% as of March 2008.

As to the geographical breakdown the securities assets were mainly allocated to the domestic market, where 89% of the investments of resident investment funds were concentrated as of June 2008, compared to 89.1% as of March 2008.

As of June 2008 non-resident investment funds’ liabilities to residents were BGN 284.9 million, increasing by BGN 0.3 million (0.1%) against March 2008 (BGN 284.6 million).

The institutional sector breakdown of investors in non-resident investment funds shows the prevalence of Insurance Corporations and Pension Funds (53.6%) and Households and Non-profit Institutions Serving Households (39.2%) as of June 2008 against 53.9% and 38.8% as of March 2008 respectively.

Liabilities of resident investment funds amounted to BGN 612 million as of June 2008. The institutional sector breakdown shows that the main shareholders in the resident investment funds were the resident Households and Non-profit Institutions Serving Households (35.7%) and Non-financial Corporations (24%).

There is a substantial increase in the Insurance Corporations and Pension Funds share from 7% on March 2008 to 23.7% as of June 2008.

The share of Financial Auxiliaries decreased from 14.3% to 0.9%.