News | 06.26.19

Bond Bulls Near First-Half Record With $72 Billion ETF Inflows

by: Vildana Hajric; Carolina Wilson

Exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors are increasingly seeking shelter in bond funds as the risk of an economic slowdown heightens, pouring approximately $72 billion into fixed-income ETFs this year through June 24, with the funds on track for their biggest first-half inflows ever. Those bets have also fueled assets in the debt strategies to hit an all-time high of nearly $741 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence. "Bond ETFs are punching way above their weight. They’re having a huge year," says Eric Balchunas, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. "Fixed income is the benefactor of an overall hangover from last year and nervousness about money going forward."