GRAPHIC-U.S. equity funds see outflows on rate cut views

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 10/11/24 08:50 AM EDT

Oct 11 (Reuters) - U.S. equity funds witnessed outflows in the week to Oct. 9 as investors booked profits due to a shift in market expectations about the Federal Reserve rate cut path and a surge in bond yields.

According to LSEG data, investors sold a net $342 million worth of U.S. equity funds during the week following a net $30.86 billion worth of purchases in the previous week.

Investors pared back expectations on future Fed rate cuts last week following a stronger-than-expected U.S. nonfarm payrolls report for the last month.

The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield reached a 2-1/2 month high of 4.12% on Thursday, tempering earnings expectations for large-cap growth stocks.

Investors divested U.S. large-cap funds of a net $4.25 billion, in contrast to $35.47 billion in net purchases, a week ago. They also ditched mid-cap funds of $919 million but scooped up multi-cap and small-cap funds of $197 million and $118 million, respectively.

Sectoral equity funds, however, witnessed inflows worth $730 million, with tech, and metals and mining drawing a notable $639 million and $251 million, respectively.

U.S. bond funds, meanwhile, garnered a 19th weekly inflow in a row, valued at about $3.37 billion on a net basis.

Short-to-intermediate investment-grade funds attracted a significant $1.5 billion, the fourth consecutive weekly inflow. U.S. investors also bought general domestic taxable and loan participation funds worth a net $1.06 billion and $682 million, respectively.

At the same time, money market funds saw a net $2.54 billion worth of investments, the third successive weekly net purchase.

(Reporting by Gaurav Dogra; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

fir_news_article