These were the most-bought active and passive funds on Interactive Investor during September:

Header Cell – Column 0Active Open-Ended FundIndex Fund or ETF
1Royal London Short Term Money Market Fund | AcciShares Physical Gold
2Artemis Global Income | AccVanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity
3Ranmore Global Equity InstitutionalL&G Global Technology Index Trust
4Jupiter Gold & SilverVanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Acc
5Royal London Short Term Money Market Fund | DisVanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF | Dis
6Orbis OEIC Global BalancedHSBC FTSE All World Index
7Artemis Global Income | DisVanguard Global All Cap Index
8Artemis SmartGARP European EquityiShares Physical Silver
9Ninety One Global GoldVanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity
10Vanguard Sterling Short-Term Money MarketVanguard LifeStrategy 60% Equity

Source: Interactive Investor.

The gold rush is especially noticeable in the top funds and ETFs list, with iShares Physical Gold ETC (LON:SGLN) jumping from third to first place in the list of top passive funds and Jupiter Gold and Silver Fund jumping from sixth to fourth.

“In September, a key trend was increased demand for precious metals,” said Caldwell. “There were two new entries: Ninety One Global Gold and iShares Physical Silver (LON:SSLN).”

September’s top investment trusts for DIY investors

These were the most-bought investment trusts among DIY investors on Interactive Investor during September:

Header Cell – Column Investment Trust
1Scottish Mortgage
2Greencoat UK Wind
3City of London
4Polar Capital Technology
5Temple Bar
6Fidelity China Special Situations
7JPMorgan Global Growth & Income
8F&C Investment Trust
9International Public Partnership
10Murray International

Source: Interactive Investor.

Technology investment trusts like Polar Capital Technology and Scottish Mortgage (LON:SMT) remain popular choices, but there are signs that DIY investors are looking less exclusively at growth-oriented investment trusts.

“Another trend gaining greater prominence is investors turning to funds that have a value style,” said Caldwell. Murray International (LON:MYI) is a new entrant to the table that reflects this value focus.

“This suggests that some investors are seeking greater diversification in their portfolios, perhaps mindful of the concentration risk attached to the US stock market,” said Caldwell.