Investors poured a record $97.6 billion into US equity ETFs since the US election, TrimTabs Investment Research reported for the period from November 8 to December 15. "The stampede into US equity ETFs since the election has been nothing short of breathtaking," said David Santschi, chief executive officer at TrimTabs, late on Sunday in a statement.
"The inflow since Election Day is equal to one and a half times the inflow of $61.5 billion in all of last year. One has to wonder who's left to buy." TrimTabs said the inflow into US equity exchange-traded funds since Election Day was equal to 6.3 percent of these funds' assets. December's inflow has already reached $43.4 billion, putting it on track to surpass the record monthly inflow of $50.7 billion set in November.
TrimTabs also noted that buying has been persistently heavy since the election, mirroring the trend seen in Lipper flow data. The new cash comes as stock markets have taken US President-elect Donald Trump's campaign promises to bulk up government spending and trim regulations as cause for celebration.
US equity ETFs have had outflows on only three trading days, and inflows swelled to $27.8 billion in the five days ended December 15, the highest weekly inflow in four weeks. "ETF flows tend to be a good contrary indicator when they become extreme, so the buying frenzy doesn't bode well for US equities," said Santschi. "The market also could get a nasty jolt in January, when investors who've been postponing stock sales this year in anticipation of lower tax rates next year start to sell."