Cash is king as investors flee bond funds, active equities in March

Cash is king as investors flee bond funds, active equities in March
Outflows from fixed-income funds hit a record $240 billion last month, says Morningstar
APR 15, 2020

Taxable bond funds suffered record outflows of $240 billion in March, posting the greatest outflows for any asset class during the month, according to Morningstar Inc. estimates.

At the same time, money market funds gathered a record $685 billion, posting a 19% organic growth rate for the quarter, which saw $694 billion flow into the liquid funds.

Bond funds’ March performance ended a streak of 14 consecutive months of inflows in which taxable bond funds collected $479 billion, Morningstar said.

Despite the turmoil in equity markets, long-term U.S. equity funds attracted $10.5 billion in net inflows during March, dominated by passively managed equity funds, which brought in a net of $41 billion. Actively managed equity funds saw outflows of $31 billion, almost the same amount as in January before the sell-off began, Morningstar said.

In the aggregate, long-term mutual funds and exchange-traded funds posted record outflows of $326 billion in March, or 1.7% of the industry's $19.7 trillion in assets at the end of February. Morningstar said it estimates net flow for mutual funds by computing the change in assets not explained by the performance of the fund, and calculates net flow for U.S. ETFs by dividing reported net assets by shares outstanding.

Among fund families, Fidelity led with $39 billion of outflows from its long-term funds in March (2.3% of its February total net assets), with nearly $23 billion coming out of taxable and muni bond funds.

For only the second time in 10 years, Vanguard’s long-term funds experienced net monthly outflows of $37 billion, mostly from its bond funds as well. American Funds, which concentrates on equities, saw $16 billion of outflows, or less than 1% of its February assets.

Latest News

Newsom wants nationwide billionaires tax as presidential bid may loom on the horizon
Newsom wants nationwide billionaires tax as presidential bid may loom on the horizon

“It’s time for an economic reset,” wrote the California governor, in a post on X.

Maryland regulators spank fledgling art-focused RIA Masterworks over registration snafus
Maryland regulators spank fledgling art-focused RIA Masterworks over registration snafus

Masterworks was launched in 2017 but its RIA, Masterworks Advisers, is just three years old.

Investors allege Miami operator took over $1.5 million in EB-5 scheme
Investors allege Miami operator took over $1.5 million in EB-5 scheme

One 2017 form, no broker license, and a $42 million gap they say surfaced on a webinar.

Gen X, millennials lag in retirement confidence amid knowledge gap
Gen X, millennials lag in retirement confidence amid knowledge gap

Fewer than half of Americans in their peak earning years feel on track for retirement, while many say limited financial knowledge and access to professional guidance are holding them back.

Advisor moves: Veteran-led UBS team overseeing $460 million migrates to Merrill
Advisor moves: Veteran-led UBS team overseeing $460 million migrates to Merrill

Meanwhile, Wells Fargo hauled advisors overseeing $825 million in the West Coast, while Wedbush has welcomed a seasoned professional from Stifel in California.

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income

SPONSORED Why direct indexing stopped being optional

Direct indexing is on pace to outgrow ETFs and mutual funds. Northern Trust's Ken Lassner explains why the advisors who get it wish they had started sooner.