The following are highlights from the latest weekly EPFR fund flows data, tracking fund flows through August 3:
The Asia ex-Japan Equity Funds tracked weekly by Emerging Portfolio Fund Research enjoyed their biggest weekly inflow this year in the week ending August 3. These funds attracted $474.6 million in net inflows, bringing their year to date cumulative inflows to $3.6 billion. It was their strongest weekly inflow since December 2004 and their second largest weekly total in 17 months.
Japan Equity Funds saw their second strongest weekly inflow total this year ($130.8 million). It was the third straight week of inflows into these funds which hold $30 billion in total assets. Most of the funds in this fund group are domiciled in Luxembourg and Ireland.
Pacific Equity Funds, which invest in both developed and emerging Asian equity markets, attracted $30.6 million. It was their second best weekly inflow total this year.
Latin America and EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) equity funds both had strong inflows, in percentage of total assets terms, during the week. The EMEA funds took in $178.8 million, extending YTD inflows to $3.04 billion. Investors contributed a net $71 million into Latin America funds, helping YTD flows the $1 billion mark ($1.04 billion). The geographically diversified Global Emerging Markets (GEM) Equity Funds saw their first outflows in nine weeks (-$757.1 million), but only due to a huge $1.2 billion outflow from a single GEM equity fund that is likely to get allocated with another emerging markets investment manager.
US Equity Funds had healthy net inflows of $1.07 billion, their fifth week of inflows in the last six and their eighth week of receiving fresh money in the last 10.
Europe Equity Funds took in $87.8 million of net inflows during the week, their first week of inflows in the last four weeks.
Flows into Emerging Market Bond Funds and Global/International Bond Funds were positive but at a more moderate pace in the latest week. High Yield Bond Funds sustained $23.3 million of net outflows.