September 18, 2012
--- Long-term
mutual fund inflows were just $20.7 billion in August, as open-end U.S. stock
funds tallied yet another month of outflows, losing $14.3 billion. ---
According to Morningstar’s monthly mutual fund asset flows
report, U.S. stock mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) bled $22.4
billion in August, making it the worst month in two years and the fifth worst
during the past five years for the asset class.
International stock funds had $2.8 billion in outflows, the
group's worst showing since December 2011. In addition, investors seem to have
lost their taste for world-bond and inflation-protected bond funds. These two
former favorites absorbed just over $600 million in combined August
inflows.
However, investors poured $26.4 billion into taxable-bond
funds ($30 billion if ETF flows are included) and another $5.6 billion into
municipal bond funds in August. Altogether, inflows into these funds surpassed
$1.1 trillion since the end of 2008 when the Fed cut rates to
zero.
The complete August report is here.
PLANADVISER staff