The ten firms observed managed a total of EUR 1.8bn at the end of the year, dispersed among some 452,000 investors. According to www.upravljanje-premozenja.si, a specialised financial management website, the best performer among Slovenian managers of mutual funds and investment companies in 2011 was the outfit of Slovenia's no. 1 bank, NLB skladi, with a -8.8% yield.

Abanka, the country's third largest bank, came in second with a -12.48% yield, followed by investment firm Primorski skladi (-13.72%).

The total amount of funds managed by the ten companies shrunk from EUR 2.2bn at the end of 2010 to EUR 1.8bn at the end of last year.

Although the website notes there is no direct connection between the size of the management firm and its yield, the research has indicated a tendency that companies managing a relatively small amount of funds are more successful.

Furthermore, the survey has revealed that the most successful firms do not get the most deposits. These are attracted by those with the most aggressive marketing.