Institutional money shifted sharply into defensive sectors this week. Industrials grabbed $1.2B in net flows. Tech bled out $1.1B. Energy hemorrhaged $920M as investors fled commodity bets.
US equities pulled $22.9B last week. The figure dwarfed all other regions. Japan added $6B continuing its three-month run of $247B in total inflows.
China lost $4.9B in seven days. Outflows hit $8.1B while inflows managed only $3.2B. The 28% flow imbalance showed persistent selling pressure. South Korea shed $2.1B. Europe dumped $1.5B reversing prior quarter strength.
Brazil surprised with $798M inflows. Flow imbalance reached 94% suggesting strong buyer conviction. Global ex-US funds grabbed $1.1B at 95% imbalance reflecting rotation away from American equities.
Tech suffered massive redemptions despite $9.4B gross inflows. Outflows totaled $10.5B producing the $1.1B net drain. Flow imbalance sat at 47% showing balanced selling pressure.
Energy dropped to 35% flow imbalance. Investors pulled cash as oil volatility persisted. The sector grabbed $16B over three months but reversed hard in the last week.
Utilities drew $292M at 76% imbalance. Communication services added $271M. Consumer discretionary pulled $216M showing resilience. Financials lost $219M. Materials shed $162M. Healthcare dropped $66M.
The three-month picture showed industrials dominant at $20.8B. Energy remained strong at $16B total. Tech still bled $9.9B over the quarter despite recent AI hype.
Equities commanded $37.1B weekly inflows. Fixed income grabbed $10.2B at 64% flow imbalance. Commodities surged with $7.9B at 73% imbalance reflecting geopolitical hedging demand.
Vanilla strategies dominated with $37.1B. Active funds pulled $5B showing renewed manager confidence. ESG strategies crashed losing $5.5B at just 28% flow imbalance. Price-weighted products shed $2.9B. Equal-weight lost $1.2B. Value dropped $1.1B.
Momentum strategies grabbed $678M at 97% flow imbalance. Dividend funds added $624M. The data showed tactical rotation into carry and momentum away from broad cap-weighted exposure.
Defensive positioning dominated as investors braced for volatility.
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.
