Investors are rejecting high-fee funds in favour of tracker funds, according to figures from the Investment Management Association (IMA).

Net retail sales of tracker funds rose 10.3 per cent year-on-year to £1.9 billion in 2011 while total fund net retail sales plunged nearly 40 per cent to £18 billion.

The three months to 31 December 2011 saw net retail sales fall across the board, even in tracker funds, as investors fled after the market collapse in August and September.

Funds under management (FUM) in tracker funds, cheap and passive vehicles that track an index, rose slightly to a record £39 billion, while its market share also increased to reach a record 6.8 per cent as FUM from all funds fell 2.6 per cent to £571 billion.

The most popular IMA sector in 2011 was the Cautious Managed sector, now rebranded the Mixed Investment 20-60% Shares sector, although its retail sales dropped from £1.8 billion in 2010 to £1.4 billion, losing out to the rise in tracker alternatives.

Tracker funds are benefiting from increased investor resistance to the high fees and perceived lack of transparency in charges for regular funds.

Asset manager Fidelity last month issued a call for a new and more transparent fee structure, which was swiftly rejected by the IMA, which dismissed accusations of hidden charges as a 'complete myth'.

However, SCM Private’s Allan Miller and Adrian Lowcock from Bestinvest both criticised the research behind the IMA's claim, and Miller, who recently launched a transparency campaign called True and Fair, said the IMA was 'defending the indefensible' by dismissing worries over hidden costs.