Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on December 8, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleUK investors sold nearly $14 billion in stocks over six months due to budget fears, with a temporary halt after the finance minister's announcement.
By Iain Withers
LONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - British investors were net sellers of stocks for a record-extending sixth consecutive month in November, data from funds network Calastone showed on Thursday, as fears the government would cut tax advantages for investments in its closely-watched budget contributed to the cash-out.
Net outflows from equity funds in November were 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) - the second-worst month on record, topped only by the 3.6 billion pounds pulled in October. A total 10.4 billion pounds ($13.87 billion) have been withdrawn over six months, Calastone added.
Daily trading patterns showed that outflows ceased on November 26 - the day UK finance minister Rachel Reeves delivered her budget, which raised some taxes for savers and investors but did not go as far as some had feared - with inflows resuming over the last three trading days of the month.
Every other day of November bar one prior to the budget had seen net selling, the data showed.
"The political narrative has played havoc with UK savers in recent months. Never have we seen such consistent or large-scale selling before," said Edward Glyn, head of global markets at Calastone.
"The sudden halt in equity-fund outflows that took place after the budget was delivered is clear evidence that many investors were selling their holdings as concerns rose," he added.
Investors instead sought out perceived safe havens, driving a record 1.3 billion pounds into money market funds and 643 million pounds into fixed income funds in November, the data also showed.
(Reporting by Iain Withers; Editing by Paul Simao)
Net selling occurs when investors sell more shares than they buy over a specific period, leading to a decrease in the total number of shares held.
Equity funds are investment funds that primarily invest in stocks, aiming to provide capital appreciation and potential dividends to investors.
A budget is a financial plan that outlines expected revenues and expenditures over a specific period, guiding spending and investment decisions.
Capital gains are the profits earned from the sale of an asset, such as stocks or real estate, when the selling price exceeds the purchase price.
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