U.S. equity funds attracted net inflows of $11.72 billion for the week ended Aug. 19, the largest weekly purchase since July 29, according to LSEG Lipper data. The gains marked a second consecutive week of net buying, driven by a strong earnings season and moderating inflation data.
About 85% of the 468 S&P 500 companies that reported results beat average analyst estimates, supporting investor sentiment. Earlier in the week, revenue growth projections from AI firm Anthropic added to optimism, offsetting headwinds from a bond-market sell-off and rising oil prices.
Major U.S. equity indices fell on Thursday as Treasury yields climbed and crude oil prices rallied, curbing risk appetite. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.32%, the S&P 500 fell 0.87%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.00%.
Large-cap equity funds led the inflows with $9.58 billion in net purchases, followed by multi-cap funds at $1.36 billion. Mid-cap and small-cap funds saw outflows of $809 million and $70 million, respectively.
Sectoral funds experienced net withdrawals of $3.1 billion, with financial funds leading outflows at $1.87 billion. Consumer staples, industrial, and technology funds recorded outflows of $623 million, $444 million, and $287 million in net withdrawals, respectively.
Bond funds attracted $9.92 billion in net inflows, the largest weekly total since July 15. General domestic taxable fixed-income funds saw $2.63 billion in purchases, while short-to-intermediate investment-grade and government funds each drew $1.93 billion.
Money market funds reversed a two-week inflow streak with net outflows of $3.57 billion.
