Growth ETFs pulled in a dominant $95.8B in just one week. That single figure captures the market's mood perfectly. Investors are chasing performance, not safety.
The US attracted $129.7B in net inflows over the past week. That is by far the biggest geographic flow on the board, with a flow imbalance of 82.8 — firmly in buying-pressure territory. Japan came second at $14.6B, a strong showing backed by an imbalance of 89.1.
China was the week's clearest loser. It shed $8.5B in net outflows, with a flow imbalance of just 22.7. That reversal is notable. Over three months, China has seen a consistent $38.5B in cumulative outflows. The selling is not new — it is accelerating.
Switzerland and Germany also saw net outflows on the week, though at much smaller scale ($342M and $192M respectively).
Over three months, Japan stands out as the second-largest inflow story globally at $306.8B. That is 45% of US three-month flows. Institutional interest in Japan has been significant and sustained.
Information Technology attracted $4.7B in net inflows this week. It is the only sector with a clearly positive flow. Consumer Discretionary added $639M, and Industrials brought in $314M.
Healthcare was the hardest-hit sector. It bled $992M in outflows, with a flow imbalance of just 27. Consumer Staples and Utilities also saw selling pressure — both traditionally defensive sectors — suggesting investors are reducing their defensive positioning.
Over three months, the story is consistent. Tech leads all sectors with $103.4B in net inflows. Industrials and Energy also showed durable strength at $16.9B and $11.7B respectively. Financials, however, suffered $12.1B in outflows over three months — their weekly loss of $285M continues that trend.
Equities pulled in $146.7B this week. Fixed income added a respectable $9.4B. Commodities, by contrast, saw a net outflow of $204M — and over three months that picture is much darker, with $80.9B in cumulative outflows. Gold and oil demand via ETFs has faded sharply.
Currencies also saw $532M in outflows this week, though the three-month picture is balanced.
On strategy, the Growth-versus-Value split is stark. Growth ETFs took in $95.8B this week with a near-perfect flow imbalance of 99.4. Value only managed $129M. ESG strategies saw just $465M inflows this week — and over three months are deeply in the red at -$13.8B. The ESG unwind continues. Active strategies, by contrast, added $132B over three months, showing durable demand for active management despite the growth-passive boom.
Overall, this is a clear risk-on week. Money is piling into US equities, growth strategies, and tech while rotating away from defensives, commodities, and China.
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.