- The number of adviser gilt purchases through AJ Bell Investcentre’s gilt dealing service increased by 436% in 2024
- The number of adviser firms using the gilt service increased by 83% last year, with a 223% increase in the number of advised customer accounts using the service to buy gilts during the same period
- AJ Bell Investcentre launched an online gilt dealing tool in February 2024 to meet soaring adviser demand
- There was also a 31% increase in gilt purchases among advisers in January 2025, compared with the previous month
- Gilt yields have in recent weeks risen to levels not seen since the 2008 financial crash
Advisers and firms are increasingly using AJ Bell Investcentre’s direct gilt service, with a whopping 436% increase in gilt purchases in 2024. AJ Bell Investcentre introduced an online gilt dealing service for advisers in February 2024, making it simpler and easier for advisers to recommend gilts to clients.
Rising interest in gilts, combined with the introduction of the new online functionality, saw an 83% increase in the number of adviser firms and a 223% rise in the number of customer accounts purchasing gilts last year, outlining the soaring demand among advisers for an online gilt dealing service.
January saw a 31% month-on-month increase in the number of gilt purchases, which may reflect the period of increased gilt yields during the month as investors reacted to a number of factors including a renewed sense of inflationary pressures ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House and policies announced in Rachel Reeves’ October Budget.
Mark Rendle, AJ Bell Investcentre product director, comments:
“We recognise how crucial it is for advisers to have the tools they need in the palms of their hands, allowing them to react quickly to the needs of clients at times of sharp and sudden changes to financial markets and economic conditions.
“The continuing trend among advisers towards investing in government bonds showed no sign of abating in 2024, with a significant uptick in adviser gilt dealing across the platform and notably via our online gilt dealing service. Advisers are clearly adapting to meet the needs of clients in the current economic backdrop, with government borrowing up significantly by recent historic standards ever since the Truss-Kwarteng mini-Budget in the autumn of 2022, and increasing again at the start of this year amid renewed concerns around inflation.
“It is therefore hardly surprising to see the service become an essential part of the advice toolkit. There was a huge increase in the number of advisers as well as firms using our online gilt dealing service via the platform last year, including a five-fold increase in the number of gilt purchases in 2024, demonstrating the importance of ensuring easy-to-use tools are available to advisers when making investment decisions for clients.”