Edited by Peter Hillerberg2 min readStories are generated from ORTEX data and reviewed by the ORTEX team. How we publish
The biggest story this week is the scale of US equity buying. $85B net flowed into US-focused ETFs in the past seven days alone. The flow imbalance sits at 74.7, well above the threshold that signals strong buying pressure. Over three months, that number rises to $269B. Both readings point in the same direction: institutional money is rotating decisively back into US assets.
Japan pulled in $12.1B over the week, with a flow imbalance of 79.2. That compares to just $7.6B over the full three-month period, suggesting the pace of buying has accelerated sharply. Brazil also stands out. It attracted $2.8B this week against a flow imbalance of 94.9, meaning almost every dollar moving was an inflow.
On the other side, Mexico saw $317M leave this week and is down $857M over three months. Israel posted a $207M outflow this week, extending a three-month loss of $226M. Latin America broadly shed $198M on the week, with an imbalance score of just 3.4.
China is a notable divergence. Three-month net flows are $22.3B positive. This week, however, the number shrinks to just $51M, with a balanced imbalance score of 56.5. The three-month tailwind may be stalling.
Financials took the biggest hit of any sector this week, with $1.9B in net outflows and a flow imbalance of only 30. Industrials lost $744M. Both sectors are bleeding despite modest gross inflows. Selling pressure is dominating.
The contrast with the three-month picture is sharp. Over 90 days, the single biggest sector outflow belongs to Information Technology, down $11.1B, and Financials are down $6.0B. Yet this week, Technology turned positive at $737M. That is a direct reversal. Short sellers have been piling into tech for months, but buyers returned this week.
Utilities drew $701M this week, building on $3.0B over three months. Health Care collected $641M this week, adding to $3.0B over the quarter. Both sectors show consistent demand. Real Estate gathered $220M on the week and $3.3B over three months, the most reliable inflow pattern in the sector data.
Equities took in $113B this week, with fixed income adding another $24B. Both asset classes show strong buying pressure. Commodities, which gathered $30.6B over three months, turned to a net outflow of $219M this week, another short-term reversal worth watching.
Active funds are the standout strategy story. They pulled in $82.4B this week with a flow imbalance of 95. Over three months, they collected $174B. The gap between active and vanilla passive has widened. Fundamental strategies added $15B this week against a quarterly total of $34B, signalling continued demand for factor-based selection.
Value strategies shed $334M this week despite $8.5B of inflows over three months. Dividend funds also turned negative, losing $146M on the week. Low volatility strategies saw $134M leave. The short-term signal is clear: risk appetite is up, and defensive plays are being trimmed.
The overall tone is risk-on. US equities lead, Japan accelerates, and active management is winning the flow battle. The one caveat is Financials, where the selling is large enough to sit alongside three months of sustained losses and warrant close attention.
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.
