The most popular Funds, Investment Trusts and ETFs in the UK

Every month, Boring Money tracks the bestselling investments across the UK's four major investment platforms. This is a running record — not a snapshot — showing which investments have attracted consistent, sustained buying over 17 months, and what that tells us about how UK investors are really behaving.

Months tracked

17 (Jan 2025 – May 2026)

Platforms covered

4 (AJ Bell, Fidelity, Hargreaves Lansdown, interactive investor)

Persistent picks ★

7 (8+ months present)

Most consistent

13/15 (Fidelity Index World & Gold ETC)

Funds

See below the

Performance figures: total return to 31 May 2026 (FE FundInfo).

Fidelity Index World

A passive fund that tracks the MSCI World Index, giving investors exposure to around 1,500 large and mid-sized companies across 23 developed markets. The US makes up roughly two-thirds of the fund, with significant weightings in technology giants including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia and Amazon. It is one of the cheapest ways to access a broadly diversified global portfolio, with an ongoing charge of just 0.12%. Its near-constant presence on bestseller lists across all four platforms reflects just how embedded low-cost passive investing has become among UK retail investors.

Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index £ Acc

Similar in spirit to Fidelity Index World but broader in scope: this fund tracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index, covering around 7,000 companies across both developed and emerging markets, including smaller companies that the MSCI World excludes. The US still dominates at around 60% of the portfolio, but the inclusion of small-cap stocks and emerging market names gives slightly wider diversification. At 0.23% OCF it is marginally more expensive than Fidelity Index World, but remains one of the lowest-cost options available to UK investors.

L&G Global Technology Index

A passive fund tracking the FTSE World Technology Index, giving concentrated exposure to the world's largest technology companies. Nvidia is the single largest holding at around 15%, alongside TSMC, Broadcom, Apple and Microsoft. The fund's 5-year return of +192.2% reflects the extraordinary run of technology stocks over that period. It has appeared in bestseller lists with increasing frequency as AI-related momentum has built — investors drawn to the theme but preferring passive, low-cost exposure over an active technology fund. Its return profile is significantly more volatile than a global index tracker, with both bigger gains and bigger drawdowns.

Investment Trusts

Performance figures: total return to 31 May 2026 (FE FundInfo).

City of London Investment Trust

Managed by Job Curtis at Janus Henderson, City of London is the most consistent investment trust on this list and one of the most widely held trusts among UK retail investors. It invests primarily in large UK-listed companies with strong dividend-paying histories — top holdings include HSBC, Shell, BAE Systems, Unilever and AstraZeneca. What makes it remarkable is its dividend record: it has increased its dividend every year for 58 consecutive years, making it one of the AIC's "dividend heroes." It is a natural choice for income-seeking investors who want steady, predictable returns rather than growth. Its persistence on bestseller lists through a period dominated by AI themes says something about the enduring demand for income in UK investing.

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust

Managed by Baillie Gifford, Scottish Mortgage is one of the most talked-about investment trusts in the UK — and one of the most polarising. It takes concentrated, long-term positions in companies it believes will transform their industries, with a significant allocation to unlisted (private) companies. Current listed holdings include Amazon, NVIDIA, Tesla and Ferrari, while its unlisted positions include SpaceX — in which it holds a substantial stake — and Anthropic, the AI safety company. Its 3-year return of +132% reflects a dramatic recovery from a difficult period in 2022–23 when its growth-heavy, private-company-rich portfolio fell sharply out of favour. Recent interest from retail investors appears closely tied to anticipation of a SpaceX IPO, which would crystallise significant value in the trust's portfolio.

F&C Investment Trust

Founded in 1868, F&C is the world's oldest investment trust and invests in a diversified global portfolio spanning thousands of companies across both listed and private markets. Managed by Columbia Threadneedle, it holds a mix of direct equity positions and stakes in other investment funds, giving it unusually broad diversification for a single trust. Top geographic exposures are the US, UK and Europe. It tends to appeal to investors who want steady, long-term compounding rather than high-conviction growth bets — in effect, a one-stop global portfolio with a long history of navigating cycles.

Polar Capital Technology Trust

An actively managed technology trust run by Ben Rogoff and his team at Polar Capital, with a high-conviction portfolio of around 80–100 global technology and technology-adjacent companies. Major holdings include Nvidia, Microsoft, TSMC, Meta and Alphabet. Unlike a passive technology index fund, the managers make active decisions on weightings and can avoid parts of the market they find overvalued — which is why it has attracted investors seeking AI exposure but with a degree of active oversight. Its 3 and 5-year returns of +222% reflect how well the technology sector has performed over that period. It has grown steadily as a bestseller as AI themes have sharpened investor interest in the sector.

Greencoat UK Wind

The UK's largest listed renewable energy infrastructure trust, investing in a portfolio of UK wind farms — both onshore and offshore. Rather than investing in companies that build or operate wind turbines, it owns the actual physical assets, earning revenue from the electricity they generate and from government subsidy schemes. This gives it a relatively predictable, inflation-linked income stream, which is why it was historically popular with income investors. Its 3-year return of −16.9% reflects a difficult period for the sector: rising interest rates made the trust's income streams look less attractive relative to bonds, and its discount to net asset value widened. Interest has picked up following the Iran energy crisis as investors reassess the long-term case for renewables.

JPMorgan Global Growth & Income

A global equity trust managed by JPMorgan Asset Management that combines growth-oriented stock picking with a commitment to paying a regular income — targeting a dividend of at least 4% of NAV per year, paid quarterly. The portfolio holds around 50–90 stocks, with the US typically its largest geographic exposure. Top holdings have included Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia and Alphabet. Its appeal lies in bridging the gap between growth and income: investors get access to the world's leading companies while also receiving a meaningful quarterly dividend, funded partly from capital if necessary. It featured prominently in the first half of our tracking period before dropping away somewhat as investor attention shifted toward purer growth plays.