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Investing.com -- Bank of America Securities said equity clients continued to rotate into small caps last week, extending momentum from near-record inflows after Jackson Hole.
Both single stocks and ETFs in the segment saw net buying, reversing a year-to-date trend where inflows had been limited to individual names.
Large caps also drew interest, while mid-caps registered outflows.
Overall U.S. equity flows were positive for a second straight week, with $0.8 billion moving into ETFs against $0.3 billion leaving single stocks.
Institutional clients led the activity, marking their sixth consecutive week of net buying, the longest streak since late 2022.
Hedge funds also bought, while private clients sold for the second time in four weeks.
Private clients, who have been the only cumulative net buyers of equities this year, turned more cautious. Their rolling four-week average of equity flows moved negative for the first time since December 2024.
“Private clients have been the only cumulative net buyers YTD but rolling 4wk. avg. flows for this group turned negative last week for the first time this year,” BofA strategist Jill Carey Hall said.
By sector, client inflows were led by technology, communication services and consumer staples, while industrials, financials and utilities saw outflows. Utilities recorded near-record withdrawals for the second week in a row.
On the ETF side, growth strategies outpaced value for the first time in six weeks, and both small- and mid-cap ETFs posted some of their largest inflows of the year.
Materials and Consumer Staples led sector ETF demand, while Financials and Healthcare saw the biggest redemptions.
Corporate buybacks picked up pace as well, running above typical seasonal levels for the first time in ten weeks.