Investing.com -- Bank of America (BofA) said its clients were net sellers of equities for the second consecutive week, with total outflows reaching $2.9 billion as the S&P 500 declined 1.5%. Similar to the previous week, selling was concentrated in single stocks, while exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw net inflows.
Institutional and hedge fund clients continued to offload equities, marking their second and seventh consecutive weeks of selling, respectively.
In contrast, private clients took advantage of the market pullback, recording their fourth-largest weekly inflow on record. They added to both stocks and ETFs.
"This group has been a net buyer of equities for 16 weeks, the longest start-of-year buying streak in our data since ’08," BofA said.
Meanwhile, corporate buyback activity slowed again and has remained below seasonal norms for the fourth straight week, following elevated repurchases earlier in the year.
At the sector level, outflows were recorded in six of the 11 GICS sectors. Technology led the selling for a second week, with BofA expecting further rotation away from the sector. Industrials also saw significant outflows.
Among private clients, purchases have spanned eight sectors, with the largest inflows into Industrials, Communication Services, and Materials. Tech and Consumer stocks, however, were sold.
Positioning favored cyclical sectors over defensives, with the most notable inflows into Energy and Financials, indicating that clients "haven’t been positioning for a
recession," BofA said.
ETF flows showed a preference for style- and size-specific strategies over broader market exposures. Clients added to Growth, Value, Large Cap, and Small Cap ETFs, while Blend, Broad Market, and Mid Cap ETFs faced selling.
Sector ETF outflows were led by Consumer Discretionary, while Tech, Communication Services, Utilities, and Energy saw modest inflows.