New details on household assets
The ECB is from now on releasing more detailed data on household holdings of investment fund shares/units broken down by underlying asset and by counterpart sector, thereby providing further insights into households‘ indirect exposures.1 Investment funds allow investors to gain exposure to a large number and variety of assets without buying them directly. Investment fund holdings amount to about one tenth of the total financial assets held by euro area households and are the fourth largest asset class after deposits, unlisted shares (for example, ownership in private businesses), and insurance and pension savings.
