Fixed income grabbed the biggest weekly inflow of any asset class. $23.8B flowed into bond ETFs in the past week, edging past equities' $20.7B. That gap matters. Over three months, equities dominate with $508B vs bonds' $279B. The short-term shift signals at least a tactical defensive turn.
Alternatives told a sharper story. They pulled $3.9B in outflows this week alone. Over three months they attracted $10.6B. That reversal suggests investors are trimming hedges and crowded trades quickly.
The US remains the centre of gravity. $19.9B net flowed into US-focused ETFs this week. Over three months, that figure rises to $231B, the largest of any geography by far.
Japan is the week's clearest loser. It bled $8.9B in net outflows, with a flow imbalance of just 29. That is a sharp contrast to the three-month picture, where Japan is nearly flat at minus $3.5B. Selling accelerated sharply in the past week.
Taiwan attracted $470M this week and $14.3B over three months, sustaining one of the strongest imbalance scores among mid-sized geographies. ORTEX Alt Data shows Taiwan's total export orders hit $103.0B in August 2026, the largest August on record since 1984 and up 71% from the year before. That record export momentum appears to be keeping institutional interest anchored in the region.
Canada drew $1.3B this week and $9.7B over three months. ORTEX Alt Data records Canadian bank total assets at CAD 19.6 trillion in July 2026, the highest July reading since 1996, reflecting a banking sector still expanding fast. Broad emerging markets flipped negative this week at minus $549M, after pulling in $19.7B over three months. India and Mexico both saw outflows, with India posting a flow imbalance of just 2.4 this week.
Technology posted the biggest sector outflow of the week. Minus $2.0B left IT ETFs, with a flow imbalance of 39. Over three months, tech still leads all sectors with $12.9B of net inflows. The reversal is clear: money that rode tech higher is now rotating out at the margin.
Financials collected the largest sector inflow this week at $1.1B. That compares to just $55M over three months. The weekly surge stands out as a fresh rotation trade rather than a continuation.
Consumer Discretionary ($806M), Health Care ($704M) and Real Estate ($610M) all attracted solid weekly flows. Over three months, Health Care and Real Estate hold their gains at $5.2B and $3.3B respectively. Industrials were almost perfectly flat on the week, essentially zero net flow despite $1.7B in gross trading.
The active management trade keeps growing. Active ETFs took in $4.6B this week and $109B over three months. Their flow imbalance of 70.7 this week is well above the passive vanilla reading of 62.4. Investors are paying for active views, not just buying the index.
Dividend strategies drew $447M this week and $13.1B over three months, consistent buying at both horizons. ESG reversed sharply: minus $358M this week after $12.9B over three months. Value and momentum strategies both saw outflows this week, though value has $9.4B in three-month inflows behind it.
The overall tone is cautious rotation rather than outright risk-off. Bonds lead on the week, tech gives back ground, and active managers continue to attract the most consistent buying pressure.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
