(Reuters) – Global equity funds led inflows in the week to Feb. 10, bolstered by upbeat corporate earnings and the prospects of a U.S. stimulus package.
Investors purchased $43.1 billion in equity funds in the past week to Wednesday, the most since at least mid-March 2019, Refinitiv Lipper data showed.
The higher inflows into equity funds come as the MSCI world equity index, which tracks shares in 49 countries, touched a new peaks on Wednesday.
Bond funds also saw a higher inflow of $18.03 billion, the data showed, thanks to rising U.S. Treasury yields.
(GRAPHIC: Fund flows into global equities, bonds and money markets – https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/ygdvzeqjxpw/Fund%20flows%20into%20gobal%20equities%20bonds%20and%20money%20markets.jpg)
Funds focused on the information technology sector attracted about $7.2 billion in inflows, the biggest since at least mid-March 2019, data for 1,160 tech funds, based on Lipper’s sector classification, showed.
(GRAPHIC: Global fund flows into equity sectors – https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/gjnvwzykqpw/Global%20fund%20flows%20into%20equity%20sectors.jpg)
Emerging market funds also attracted heavy inflows in the week. Refinitiv data covering 14,352 emerging-market equity funds and 9,210 emerging-market bond funds showed inflows worth $3.02 billion and $2.9 billion, respectively.
On the other hand, money market funds witnessed $3.3 billion in outflows, signalling that investors were looking to invest in riskier assets during the week.
(GRAPHIC: Fund flows into EM equities and bonds – https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/azgpoeblwpd/Fund%20flows%20into%20EM%20equities%20and%20bonds.jpg)
(Reporting by Gaurav Dogra and Patturaja Murugaboopathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)
