Investors Pouring Money into Fixed Income

Morningstar data for February shows EUR 12.5 billion flowed into fixed-income funds

Alanna Petroff 27 March, 2012 | 9:31AM
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

Investors were pouring their cash into fixed-income funds last month, with Morningstar data showing that this particular asset class had its highest net inflows in more than a year.

“Fixed-income funds saw their strongest inflows since August 2010, led by corporate debt offerings. Investors are clearly hungry for yield and consider corporate balance sheets to be healthier than those of Western governments,” says Dan Lefkovitz from Morningstar’s European research team.

Morningstar’s European fund flow data for February shows fixed-income funds attracted the vast majority of investor cash for the month, with EUR 12.5 billion in inflows.

Pimco, M&G, and AllianceBernstein were all the big beneficiaries of inflows to bond funds. Amongst the bond categories, euro-denominated corporate bonds saw the greatest inflows, followed by several high-yield categories.

Overall, the fund industry had positive inflows, with more than EUR 15 billion in new assets flowing into long-term European-domiciled funds.

Meanwhile, equity funds saw a modest outflow of investor capital, with some EUR 189 million redeemed in February. Funds investing in Europe, the UK and the US were particularly unpopular. This outflow data is generally in line with a longer-term trend: investors are withdrawing their money from equity funds.

Money market funds also saw notable outflows in February, giving up some EUR 13 billion during the month.

“After sending money into funds of all types in January, European investors were more selective in February,” says Lefkovitz.

The information contained within is for educational and informational purposes ONLY. It is not intended nor should it be considered an invitation or inducement to buy or sell a security or securities noted within nor should it be viewed as a communication intended to persuade or incite you to buy or sell security or securities noted within. Any commentary provided is the opinion of the author and should not be considered a personalised recommendation. The information contained within should not be a person's sole basis for making an investment decision. Please contact your financial professional before making an investment decision.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

About Author

Alanna Petroff

Alanna Petroff  is a financial journalist with Morningstar UK.

© Copyright 2024 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.

Terms of Use        Privacy Policy        Modern Slavery Statement        Cookie Settings        Disclosures