Vanguard is head and shoulders above the competition, based on the latest asset figures from the Boston-based Financial Research Corp. As of December 2010, it had some $1.4 trillion in assets, excluding proprietary fund of funds.
This put Vanguard ahead of rival American Funds, which has some $973 billion in assets under management, by about $435 billion and in front of Fidelity, with roughly $875.5 billion, by about $525 billion.
Vanguard's assets grew 21% in 2010 and close to 66% over the past two years, FRC says. Assets at American Funds grew 5% last year and 31% in the past two years, while Fidelity's assets expanded 17% in 2010 and 57% over the past two years.
In the number-four slot in terms of assets is Black Rock with about $585.5 billion. This group's assets expanded 75% in the past two years. It is followed by PIMCO with $407 billion and a two-year growth rate of 96%.
Hartford Mutual Funds experienced the biggest asset growth in 2010 at 51% and in December 2010 at 34%. It ended the year at $75.7 billion in assets. JPMorgan Asset Management had the strongest two-year growth rate at 131%. It has some $124 billion in assets.
AllianceBernstein Investment Research grew at the lowest rate of the top-25 fund groups. Its one-year asset growth rate was about 0.2% and its two-year rate was 17%.
