Bonds receive biggest weekly inflow since 2021 as high yields attract, BofA says

Investors poured $19 billion into bond funds in the week to Wednesday, the biggest inflow since February 2021, as they locked in high yields, Bank of America (BAC) said in a research note on Friday.

Cash funds received $51.9 billion of inflows, BofA said, citing numbers from financial data EPFR, the largest inflow in two months.

The yields available on fixed income assets have soared as central banks have hiked interest rates to tackle inflation, drawing investors to bonds and cash-like money market funds.

BofA analysts said in the research note that investors were "locking in 'peak yields'" ahead of expected rate cuts later this year.

After some signs of progress on inflation and a slowing in growth, financial markets expect the US Federal Reserve to cut borrowing costs by around 0.5 percentage points this year.

BofA said equity funds received their 11th straight week of inflows, at $8.1 billion, in the longest streak since Dec. 2021.

It said US large-cap equities - the largest companies in the American market - received their biggest inflow in 16 weeks at $16.6 billion.

(Reporting by Harry Robertson, editing by Alun John and Christina Fincher)