The 10 most searched universes in November by institutional clients of eVestment Alliance's investment products database were all multiple-geographic universes, with net institutional asset flows for the first nine months of 2011 reflecting the same trend, according to the firm's latest monthly report.
Global equity, global balanced and emerging markets were market segments enjoying the strongest search trends. For the first nine months of the year, those three segments pulled in net flows of $30 billion, $40 billion and $33 billion, respectively.
In a telephone interview, Benjamin C. Olmstead, vice president-new product innovation, noted that money managers in the database added 86 new U.S. equity products during November — more than any other market segment.
Mr. Olmstead noted that, while net inflows of $12 billion for U.S. equity products through September were a fraction of the inflows enjoyed by global and emerging markets equities, they marked a sharp turnaround from years of heavy outflows. Over the past four years, net outflows from U.S. equity strategies amounted to $107.1 billion, $57.6 billion, $182.8 billion and $180.9 billion, he said.
According to eVestment Alliance's tally, all-EAFE equity has suffered the heaviest outflows, at $17 billion, over the first three quarters of 2011.
Fixed income, meanwhile, has enjoyed inflows, led by global fixed income, at $33.5 billion, and U.S. fixed income, at $20 billion. Amid the economic uncertainties surrounding Europe, EAFE fixed income pulled in only $1.7 billion in net flows.
