CRI听力: Treasury funds meet cold sales while mutual funds gain popularity

Treasury bonds are usually regarded as the safest investment among Chinese citizens, especially when the economy is experiencing a downturn. However, the recently launched third and fourth editions of the savings bonds are not selling well, and at the same time, the mutual funds market has seen a bit of a revival. Let's take a closer look with reporter Huang Rui.

Reporter:
In the service hall of the banks, few people wait in line to purchase Treasury bonds. Some clients at the bank explain why they haven't bought any yet. (www.hxen.net)

"Because the period of investment in treasury bonds is too long and the interest is too little. And it is also not convenient. If you want to cash it in, then you need to pay some commission fees as well."

"I do think Treasury bonds are more stable than other financial products, but I'm not sure about how much profit I can actually get out of this kind of long-term investment."
According to the bank, bond sales have been mild since June due to the revival of the stock market, which caused more people to choose to invest in mutual funds. Manager Wang Peng from Communications Bank of China explains.

"Since the last quarter of last year, the capital market has seen a comparatively stable rise. That's why people now are more willing to choose those financial products with higher risks but also more profitable."

Amid cold sales of treasury bonds and the awakening stock market, sales of mutual funds have been quite eye-catching in the past two months. For example, China Post Fund was among those with the most dramatic drop last year, but it has now regained 77 percent of its value since the second quarter of this year. Due to the recent ban by the China Banking Regulatory Commission on sales of stock-related financial products conducted by banks, investors have few other choices besides buying mutual funds.

Now the index has gone up to 3,200 points, and financial experts are suggesting a wise allocation of investments. Wang Qunhang is a mutual fund analyst.

"Now the stock market has climbed up to a higher point, so if the investor has the ability to choose wisely during the investment, then I think the exchange traded fund is quite a good choice, because its exchange procedure is simpler and the cost is lower."

Experts suggest investors need to manage the risks in investment, especially with a rational allotment in stock funds. For ambitious investors, a combined investment in hybrid and index funds should also be considered in order to lower risks.

For China Drive, I'm Liu Min.