Equity mutual funds took in net flows of $26.38 billion in April, down 23% from the $34.36 billion they reaped the month before, according to data from the Investment Company Institute.
Investors cooled both to U.S. and world equity funds in the month, with U.S. equity funds taking in $8.03 billion, down 49% from the $15.66 billion they took in the month before. Flows to world equity funds dipped slightly to $18.35 billion in April, compared to $18.71 billion in March. Flows to this category have been falling of late, after garnering a whopping $122.81 billion in January, the biggest amount since 1999.
Investors also seemed to have less faith in bond funds, with these funds netting $1.09 billion in April, down nearly 80% from $5.26 billion in March.
One fund company that did particularly well in April was Fidelity Investments, with $4 billion invested in its equity funds. T. Rowe Price also enjoyed strong flows during the month, as did Charles Schwab, which took in $2.6 billion into its equity funds and $190 million into its bond funds in the period.
But in May, all of these companies experienced either outflows or significant drop offs in flows. After seeing very strong inflows to its U.S. and international funds in April, T. Rowe Price saw that fall to a modest pace in May. Meanwhile, there were slight outflows from its international funds in the period.
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