Best Selling Funds Of 2026 And How They Performed

• Fidelity’s 2026 best-selling ISA and SIPP fund lists show strong demand for global trackers, money market funds, income funds, emerging markets and selected UK equity funds.

• Our analysis reviewed the performance, sector ranking and Yodelar Rating of the main funds appearing on those lists, using Investment Association fund data to 31st July 2026.

• Artemis Global Income was the highest 5-year performer among the funds reviewed, returning 157.29% and ranking 1st in the IA Global Equity Income sector over 3 and 5 years.

• Several popular global tracker funds ranked well against sector peers, but not all best-selling funds achieved strong returns when compared to their sector peers.

What Investors Have Been Buying

The funds investors buy most often can reveal a lot about market sentiment.

Fidelity’s 2026 best-selling ISA and SIPP fund lists show that UK investors have been buying a mix of global trackers, cash funds, income funds, emerging markets funds and selected UK equity funds. Fidelity Index World, Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap, Artemis Global Income, Lazard Emerging Markets, Fidelity Cash and Royal London Short Term Money Market all appeared among the most bought funds in the first half of 2026. Fidelity states that the rankings are based on net ISA and SIPP sales from 1 January to 30 June 2026 for personal investors.

That mix tells a useful story. Investors still want exposure to long-term global growth, but many are also using cash and money market funds as a defensive holding. Some are seeking income, while others are buying into emerging markets after a stronger period for parts of Asia and developing economies.

But a fund being popular does not make it suitable. Investors should still ask whether it has performed competitively, whether it overlaps with existing holdings, and whether it fits the wider portfolio.

How The Popular Funds Performed

The table below shows selected share classes from our Investment Association fund dataset that correspond most closely with the best-selling funds listed by Fidelity.

Yodelar Ratings are based on historic fund performance compared with funds in the same Investment Association sector. They are not a recommendation, do not assess personal suitability and should not be treated as a guide to future returns.

Popularity And Performance Are Different

Some of the best-selling funds performed strongly against sector peers.

Artemis Global Income was the strongest 5-year performer among the funds reviewed. It returned 157.29% over 5 years and ranked 1st in the IA Global Equity Income sector over both 3 and 5 years. It also ranked 2nd in the sector over 1 year.

Lazard Emerging Markets also stood out. It returned 99.38% over 5 years, ranked 5th out of 148 funds in the IA Global Emerging Markets sector and achieved a 5 star Yodelar Rating.

Several popular global tracker funds also ranked well. L&G Global Equity Index, Fidelity Index World and HSBC FTSE All World each achieved 4 star Yodelar Ratings in the dataset. These funds benefited from broad exposure to global equities and ranked competitively against funds in the IA Global sector.

But not every popular fund had a strong rating. Fidelity Global Dividend and Fidelity Multi Asset Allocator Growth both held 2 star Yodelar Ratings. That does not mean they are automatically unsuitable, but it does mean investors should understand why they are being held and whether they still fit the wider portfolio.

The key point is simple. A fund being bought by many investors is not enough evidence that it is right for an individual investor.

Global Trackers Were Popular

Global tracker funds featured strongly on Fidelity’s best-seller lists. Fidelity Index World, Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap, L&G Global Equity Index and HSBC FTSE All World all appeared among the most bought funds in 2026. Fidelity also notes that these funds differ in important ways, including whether they include emerging markets and how concentrated their largest holdings are.

That is important because investors should not assume all global trackers are the same. Some focus only on developed markets, while others include emerging markets. Some have broader exposure to smaller companies. Some are more concentrated in the largest global businesses.

In our latest dataset, L&G Global Equity Index, Fidelity Index World and HSBC FTSE All World each achieved 4 star Yodelar Ratings. Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap achieved a 3 star rating.

Each may have a valid role, but the details matter. A tracker fund can be a useful building block, but it still needs to be reviewed in the context of the whole portfolio.

Cash And Money Market Funds Remained In Demand

Fidelity Cash and Royal London Short Term Money Market also appeared on Fidelity’s best-selling lists. This reflects a wider trend among UK investors.

The Investment Association reported that money market funds were the bestselling asset class in 2025, with £6.9 billion of inflows, while Short Term Money Market was the best-selling sector for the year. The IA said the popularity of money market funds reflected a “wait and see” response to geopolitical tensions, as investors and advisers favoured cash-like investments for flexibility and liquidity.

Cash and money market funds can play a useful role. They may be suitable for short-term money, lower-risk positioning or investors who need liquidity.

But they are not the same as long-term growth investments. Royal London Short Term Money Market returned 19.41% over 5 years, ranking 1st in its sector. Fidelity Cash returned 18.88% over the same period, ranking 2nd. Those are strong results for their sector, but they should not be compared directly with global equity funds, income funds or emerging markets funds.

The right question is not whether cash funds are good or bad. It is whether they are being used for the right purpose.

Emerging Markets Returned To The Spotlight

Lazard Emerging Markets appeared on both Fidelity’s best-selling ISA and SIPP fund lists. In our dataset, Lazard Emerging Markets A Acc GBP returned 13.80% over 6 months, 41.92% over 1 year and 99.38% over 5 years.

It also ranked 5th out of 148 funds in the IA Global Emerging Markets sector over 5 years and achieved a 5 star Yodelar Rating.

Emerging markets can provide useful diversification and growth potential, but they can also move sharply. Performance can depend heavily on country exposure, currency movements and market sentiment.

Investors buying emerging markets funds should therefore understand what they already hold. Many global funds already include emerging market exposure, while some portfolios may have very little. The role of the fund matters as much as the headline return.

What Investors Should Check Before Following The Crowd

Best-selling funds can be useful to review, but they should not be treated as a buying list.

Before adding a popular fund, investors should ask:

This approach helps investors avoid buying a fund simply because others are buying it.

Popularity can show what investors are doing. It does not show what an individual investor should do.

Start With A Free Portfolio Analysis

Many investors hold funds that are popular, familiar or widely used without knowing how those funds rank against sector peers.

Our free portfolio analysis reviews each fund individually, showing 1, 3 and 5-year performance, sector ranking and Yodelar Rating, where data is available. The analysis can also help identify weaker-rated holdings, duplication, concentration, higher charges and funds that may no longer have a clear role.

Where appropriate, the analysis can compare backdated portfolio performance with a similar-risk MKC Invest model. This is a historic comparison only. It does not provide personal advice, is not a recommendation to invest in an MKC portfolio and should not be treated as a guide to future performance.

For investors considering best-selling funds, the analysis can help answer a better question: does this fund improve the portfolio, or does it simply add another holding?

Speak To An Adviser

For investors who want to understand whether their current portfolio remains suitable, a no obligation call with an adviser from our advice partner, MKC Wealth, can help.

The discussion can cover current holdings, portfolio analysis results, objectives, time horizon and attitude to risk. Any personal recommendation would only be made after understanding the investor’s financial position, investment objectives, time horizon and attitude to risk. Any recommendation would include a clear explanation of risks, costs and ongoing service.

Summary

Best-selling funds show what investors are buying. They do not show what investors should buy.

The most popular ISA and SIPP funds of 2026 included global trackers, cash funds, income funds, emerging markets and UK equity funds. Some had strong historic sector rankings. Others were more mixed.

For investors, the lesson is not to avoid popular funds. It is to test them properly.

A fund should earn its place because it supports the portfolio, not because it appears on a best-seller list. Before adding another popular fund, investors should first understand what they already hold, how those funds have performed, and whether the new holding would genuinely improve the overall structure.

Sources and Methodology

Best-selling fund data referenced from Fidelity International, based on net ISA and SIPP sales from 1 January to 30 June 2026 for personal investors. https://www.fidelity.co.uk/markets-insights/investing-ideas/funds/what-funds-have-investors-been-buying-this-year/

Investment Association fund flows referenced from Investment Association retail fund flow data. https://www.theia.org/news/press-releases/annual-retail-fund-outflows-steady-investors-favour-diversified-and-defensive

Performance and rating data from our analysis of Investment Association sector-classified funds using performance data to 31st July 2026. Figures are rounded. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns.