Edited by Peter Hillerberg3 min readStories are generated from ORTEX data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. How we publish
Active ETFs are the clearest signal of the week. They pulled in $78.7B in net flows over seven days, with a flow imbalance of 85.2. That is the strongest buying pressure of any strategy category. Over three months, active funds have gathered $181.8B. The direction is consistent and accelerating.
The US remains the dominant destination. $86.9B net flowed into US-focused ETFs this week alone, with a flow imbalance of 72.6. The three-month total stands at $278.6B. Japan was the surprise runner-up over the week, adding $6.7B net. But that is a sharp reversal from the three-month picture, where Japan actually shows a small $1.9B net outflow. Flows into Japan now appear to be short-term repositioning rather than a structural shift.
China tells the opposite story. It attracted $34.6B over three months, the third-largest geography by 3m net flow. This week it flipped to a $203M outflow, with a flow imbalance of just 33.1. Selling pressure has returned quickly. Singapore-focused ETFs bucked that trend, posting a near-perfect flow imbalance of 99.1 this week and $913M in net inflows over three months. ORTEX alt data adds relevant context: Chinese visitor arrivals in Singapore hit 435,442 in August 2026, the largest August reading since 2008, suggesting genuine cross-border economic activity supporting that region's appeal.
Global Ex-US funds also showed strength, with a flow imbalance of 92.1 this week and consistent inflows over three months. Investors are broadening international exposure without concentrating in any single market.
The sharpest signal in sectors is the dual punishment of Financials and Technology. Financials saw $2.8B in net outflows this week, the heaviest of any sector, with a flow imbalance of just 22. That weakness is not new: Financials are also the biggest sector loser over three months at -$3.8B. Technology shed $2.4B this week and is down $2.5B over three months too.
The money is rotating into defensive and infrastructure plays. Utilities gained $1.0B this week and $2.5B over three months. Industrials added $527M this week. Communication Services showed $310M in weekly net inflows, a reversal from its three-month deficit of -$785M. That is a notable short-term flip worth watching.
Health Care and Real Estate are the strongest 3m sector stories, adding $3.1B and $3.0B respectively. Both posted weekly outflows or near-flat results, suggesting some near-term profit-taking after steady accumulation.
Equities dominated at the asset class level: $102.5B net this week and $536.8B over three months. Fixed income also attracted serious capital, $31.9B this week and $292B over three months. The two are moving together. That is not a classic risk-off rotation into bonds at the expense of stocks. It points instead to broad portfolio construction buying across both.
Commodities gathered just $526M this week but $31.4B over three months. The weekly number is thin. The 3m number suggests the commodity trade is maturing rather than expanding.
On strategy, price-weighted funds flipped sharply: a $3.9B inflow this week versus a $14.6B net outflow over three months. Equal-weight funds bled $1.3B this week after three months of modest gains. Dividend strategies held steady in both windows, adding $481M this week and $12.8B over three months.
The overall tone is risk-on with a defensive tilt: equities and bonds both in demand, money rotating out of Financials and Technology into Utilities, Industrials, and active management.
ORTEX Market Intelligence content is generated by AI from a snapshot of ORTEX's proprietary data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. Content is informational only and does not constitute investment advice.
