Investors were expecting quarter-point interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank (ECB) in early May. They got them, along with the collapse of another American regional bank, a warning from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that the US may not be able to pay its bills in June if the debt ceiling standoff persists and more violent protests against pension reform in France.
According to CNN, annual inflation dropped in March 2023 for the ninth consecutive month, and grocery prices fell month-on-month for the first time since September 2020. While the CPI has cooled off – at least temporarily – investors are not treating the news as a green light for the road back to riskier asset classes. With fear far from banished, cash remains king.
Latest EPFR fund flow data reports outflows for equity funds and money market funds, and inflows towards bond funds, and China and India equity funds.
With mud season keeping the conflict in Ukraine deadlocked and the next round of major central bank meetings still a fortnight away, investors turned their attention to taxes, corporate earnings and China’s economy during the third week of April.
Kirsten Longbottom, Research Associate at EPFR, is in charge of delivering our fund flows highlights this week. Using our Fund Flows and Allocations data and insights, we put our focus on equity flows and sector allocations.
The second week of April offered investors two data points, the latest US jobs report and the inflation numbers for Match, that they hoped would make the case for a pause in the Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle. Although headline inflation in March came in at a one-year low and the number of new non-farm jobs created was the least in over two years, investors were left hoping that the Fed will focus on the trends rather than the actual, positive numbers.
US Money Market Funds kicked off April by recording their fourth straight inflow in excess of $50...
Join EPFR’s Steve Muzzlewhite for his weekly investor sentiment update. This week, we cover equity fund flows, bond flows and money market fund flows.
EPFR data reveals outflows from equity, multi-asset and alternative funds, and inflows to bond funds and money market flows during the last week of March 2023.
Flows to and from EPFR-tracked fund groups during the final week of March continued to paint a picture of risk aversion and fear among investors. For the third week running liquidity funds recorded above average inflows while High Yield, Bank Loan, Emerging Markets Bond and Alternative Funds extended their current outflow streaks.
