China and cash were by far and away the most popular asset classes during the fourth week of April as investors and markets braced for another round of rate hikes in early May.
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Data-driven towards another rate hike?
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.
A liquid start to the second quarter
US Money Market Funds kicked off April by recording their fourth straight inflow in excess of $50...
Off the wires: Money market funds swell by more than $286bn amid deposit flight
The collapse of several US regional banks and the UBS-Credit Suisse merger in March spurred investors to look for alternative homes for their money. For many the answer was Money Market Funds. Utilizing EPFR Fund Flows and Allocations data, we analyze which mandates and regions have benefited the most in recent weeks.
Banking on the cavalry’s prompt arrival
The second week of March was dominated by the crumbling fortunes of large US regional banks and European major Credit Suisse. Although this certainly dented investors’ risk appetite, many saw events as an opportunity – especially if major central banks dust off their playbooks from 2008-09 and 2020, opening lines of credit and secured lending facilities and cutting interest rates.
Weekly fund flows highlights – 20 March 2023
EPFR’s Steve Muzzlewhite uses our Fund Flows and Allocations data for an update on US bond funds and Japan’s equity funds.
Fed following data, investors running from it
The third month of 2023 started with investors pulling another $5 billion out of EPFR-tracked US Equity Funds, extending that group’s longest outflow streak since 2Q20, as stronger-than-expected consumer spending and a resilient labor market undermined the case for an early end to the current US rate hiking cycle.
Craving certainty, markets get uncertainty
How much longer will the war in Ukraine go on? How much further will central banks go before they deem inflation contained? How much damage will the latest US debt ceiling standoff do? How widely will the benefits of China’s anticipated economic rebound be felt? What direction will Japanese monetary policy take?
Glass remains half full in late January
Actions spoke louder – to equity investors – than words coming into February, with the fact that the latest interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve was only 25 basis points, boosting flows to US Equity Funds and other groups despite the accompanying verbal warning that the battle against inflation is “not fully done.”
Off the wires: Japan government bonds: Is there a coming outflow?
Is there a coming outflow in Japan’s long-dated government bonds? Where might this money be reallocated to? Who is the investor? EPFR Quant Analyst Vikram Srimurthy, reflects on The Wall Street Journal article, ‘Japan’s 10-Year Government Bond Yield Breaches New Cap’.