More than one in five searches for funds by advisers were for solutions which preserved capital in the third quarter of 2025.
This was a 6.6 per cent increase on the previous quarter, according to Titan Square Mile’s quarterly Market Intelligence Report.
It also showed inflation had dropped as a concern for advisers researching investment options for their clients over the last quarter.
Inflation protection accounted for fewer than 1 per cent of searches conducted by users of the Titan Square Mile Academy of Funds, down from 5.6 per cent in Q2.
John Lester, senior business development director, Titan Wealth, said: “The fact that research into inflation protection as an investment outcome in Q3 was negligible while capital preservation registered a marked increase suggests a shift towards greater caution as alarm bells continue to ring over a potential market correction driven by a sell-off in AI related companies.”
The report is based on insights from the 399 active, passive and risk targeted funds and investment trusts, rated by Titan’s analysts.
In the third quarter of 2025, the Academy received 22,230 visits.
During the period the IA Global sector accounted for the most searches at 19 per cent, twice that of the second most popular, IA Sterling Strategic Bond at 10 per cent, with IA UK All Companies coming third at 8.7 per cent.
And the top five most researched funds covered a range of sectors, including UK smaller companies and Japanese equities.
Lester added: “With capital accumulation strategies continuing to dominate adviser research, adviser outlook appears to remain relatively sanguine overall, despite an uptick in interest in protecting capital.
“We would always advocate diversification across asset classes and investment styles supported by robust fund research as a sound strategy to protect portfolios against an uncertain market backdrop.”
tara.o’connor@ft.com
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