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Retail investors remained committed to the tech theme despite selloffs in October, while banking stocks were also in vogue.
Money market funds were some of the most sought-after last month with investors seemingly keen to limit risk over the short term before jumping into equities , according to investing platform Interactive Investor (ii).
Meanwhile, global tracker funds proved popular as investors also sought to diversify portfolios through gold and silver .
Some new names were in demand in October too, including space and mining-focused investment trusts .
Banking stocks get post-Budget bounce
UK banking stocks including Lloyds Banking Group ( LON:LLOY ), NatWest Group ( LON:NWG ) and Barclays ( LON: BARC ), were some of the most popular among private investors last month.
Victoria Scholar, head of investment at ii, said: "Third quarter earnings reports released last month drew attention to the sector alongside the Autumn Budget when the chancellor announced plans to increase the bank surcharge, but by less than expected."
Investors continued buying shares in miner Glencore ( LON:GLEN ) and aerospace and defence firm Rolls-Royce ( LON:RR ) in October, with both having been popular choices the previous month too.
Tech stocks continued their positive streak, with Google owner Alphabet ( NASDAQ:GOOGL ) and chip-maker Nvidia ( NASDAQ:NVDA ) sought-after despite a tech selloff late in the month.
"Investors grew concerned about the heavy levels of AI-related spending," said Scholar. "The Nasdaq ended the month in the red and suffered its biggest one-day percentage decline since June on the final trading day.
"Nevertheless, ii customers continued to buy shares in SpaceX ( NASDAQ:SPCX ), Nvidia and Micron ( NASDAQ:MU ), while Alphabet was a new entrant to the most bought stocks list."
| Ranking |
Equities |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Lloyds Banking Group |
| 2 |
Rolls Royce |
| 3 |
SpaceX |
| 4 |
Alphabet |
| 5 |
NatWest Group |
| 6 |
Glencore |
| 7 |
Barclays |
| 8 |
Nvidia |
| 9 |
Micron Technology |
| 10 |
Ceres Power Holdings |
Source: ii (November 2026)
Money market funds dominate open-ended funds
Investors continued piling money into money market funds in October, with four making their way onto ii's top 10 list. These included the Royal London Short Term Money Market Fund Acc and Vanguard's Sterling Short-Term Money Market Fund .
Tech-focused active open-ended funds also made the list, including Polar Capital Global Technology and L&G Global Technology .
Kyle Caldwell, funds and investment education expert at ii, said: "One of the biggest debates occupying investors today is whether the enormous sums being spent on AI infrastructure and development will ultimately generate the earnings growth and profits the market is expecting.
"In the main, low-cost global exposure through index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is preferred. Some global tracker funds stick to developed markets, while 'All-World' approaches cast their nets wider and include emerging markets."
| Ranking |
Active Open-Ended Fund |
Index Fund or ETF |
| 1 |
Royal London Short-Term Money Market | Acc |
Vanguard FTSE Global All-Cap UCITS ETF USD |
| 2 |
Artemis Global Income | Acc |
Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF |
| 3 |
Royal London Short-Term Money Market | Dis |
Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index |
| 4 |
WS Blue Whale Growth |
iShares Physical Gold ETC |
| 5 |
Artemis SmartGARP Global Equity Fund |
HSBC FTSE All World Index |
| 6 |
Fidelity Cash Fund |
Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Acc |
| 7 |
Polar Capital Global Technology |
Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity |
| 8 |
Vanguard Sterling Short-Term Money Market Fund |
L&G Global Technology Index |
| 9 |
Artemis Global Income | Dis |
iShares Physical Silver ETC |
| 10 |
abrdn Sterling Money Market Fund |
Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Dis |
Source: ii (November 2026)
Space-themed investment trusts blast off
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust ( LON:SMT ), of which SpaceX is the largest holding (as of 30 September), came top of ii's list of most popular investment trusts in October.
Seraphim Space Investment Trust ( LON:SSIT ) also features in ii's top ten most-bought investment trusts, underscoring the popularity of the space theme.
The trust, which has holdings in companies that invest in satellites and radars, made its way onto ii's list for the first time alongside BlackRock World Mining Trust ( LON:BRWM ) and 3i Group ( LON:III ).
Caldwell said: "Investors have been branching out into different sectors…the various strategies show that investors are casting their nets wide in an attempt to profit and build resilience into portfolios."
| Ranking |
Investment Trusts |
| 1 |
Scottish Mortgage |
| 2 |
Polar Capital Technology |
| 3 |
Greencoat UK Wind |
| 4 |
Henderson FE Income |
| 5 |
City of London |
| 6 |
The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) |
| 7 |
Seraphim Space |
| 8 |
BlackRock World Mining |
| 9 |
3i Group |
| 10 |
International Public Partnerships |
Source: ii (November 2026)
