Investors were expecting quarter-point interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank (ECB) in early May. They got them, along with the collapse of another American regional bank, a warning from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that the US may not be able to pay its bills in June if the debt ceiling standoff persists and more violent protests against pension reform in France.
The final week of 2022 saw EPFR-tracked Bond Funds post consecutive weekly outflows for the first time since mid-October, capping a year when the overall group smashed its previous outflow record as central banks scrambled to contain inflation running at multi-decade highs.
Behind the headline number, however, was a marked shift from active to passive management.
A final look to EPFR-tracked equity funds in December 2022, with alternative, balanced, bond and money market funds experiencing significant redemptions as investors grapple with a highly uncertain outlook for the first half of next year.
Overall, the second week of December 2022 saw all Equity Funds record a collective inflow of $17.9 billion while Bond Funds absorbed $2.3 billion.
Flows during the first week of the third quarter favored liquidity, with EPFR-tracked Money Market Funds recording their biggest inflow year-to-date. But there were a few signs that investors are willing to test what have been stormy waters for much of the past four months.
Flows and allocations to different sectors and sector-related fund groups over the past 14 months have been marked by conviction, record inflows – and sharp changes of direction. Learn how EPFR Data captures some significant thematic shifts, in our Sector rotation series.
Flows to EPFR-tracked fund groups during the first week of December tilted towards the positive – at least for the US. Investors steered money into US Equity Funds for the 11th straight week, US Bond and Global Equity Funds rebounded from their first outflows in over seven and 17 months, respectively, and US Money Market Funds took in fresh money for the seventh time in the past eight weeks.
With four out of five US companies reporting Q3 2021 earnings that beat expectations, US equity markets climbed to fresh record highs during in late October.
The first week of October saw US lawmakers sparring over the country’s debt ceiling, authorities in China scrambling to limit the wider damage property giant Evergrande’s debt crisis may cause, and central bankers from Canada to Poland wrestling with the tradeoff between economic growth and rising prices.
