Investing.com -- Bank of America Securities clients were large net buyers of U.S. equities last week, during which the Federal Reserve delivered the first interest rate cut in years and the S&P 500 advanced 1.4%. Inflows totaled $6.9 billion, the largest since October 2022.
According to BofA, clients purchased both individual stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with record inflows into single stocks. All market caps—large, mid, and small—attracted buyers.
Institutional clients were the leading buyers, marking their first inflows in five weeks and the biggest since November 2022. Hedge funds also continued their buying streak for the third week, while private clients were net sellers for a second straight week.
Stocks from eight of the 11 sectors were purchased, with Tech, Consumer Discretionary, and Utilities leading the charge.
BofA strategists note that the Consumer Discretionary sector “could benefit from less rate pressure, and saw the second-largest inflows in our data history last week (led by institutions).”
Utilities experienced a record inflow, the highest since 2008. BofA strategists recently upgraded the sector to Overweight, favoring its income and quality in a landscape of Fed rate cuts and ongoing market volatility.
On the other hand, Financials, Real Estate, and Energy faced outflows, with Real Estate seeing its fifth consecutive week of selling.
Unlike in individual stocks, Financial ETFs saw the strongest inflows last week, while Real Estate ETFs saw the largest outflows.
Meanwhile, Corporate buybacks remained robust, even though they slowed slightly last week. Year-to-date, buybacks as a percentage of the S&P 500 market cap are on track for a record year.
U.S. equities ended last week on a strong note, as the Fed’s half-percentage rate cut boosted investor demand for risk assets. The S&P 500 climbed 1.36%, its fifth gain in the past six weeks, pushing its 2024 increase close to 20%.