A lot of folks have a hard time keeping track of flows data and an even harder time interpreting it.
Fortunately, we've seen at least two instances over the past six weeks of outflows from particular asset classes that are so large as to be idiot-proof in terms of interpretation.
Recall the mass exodus from HY last month when the bottom suddenly fell out for crude and, perhaps more poignantly, the $14.5 billion investors yanked from US equity funds in the week ended April 5.
Well on Friday, BofAML's Barnaby Martin is out with a great chart that measures “flow strength” (the average of flows as a % percentage of AUM across assets). Have a look:
And here's the succinct explanation:
Flows across the asset classes we track have slowed down to the lowest level since late 2015. Amid rising political uncertainty ahead of French elections, conviction among investors is low.
