News

By Carolina Mandl

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Hedge funds sold more than bought stocks last week as the main U.S. stock indexes posted a loss after five consecutive weeks of gains, Bank of America said in a note.

The bank, which tracks its clients trading flow, said hedge funds net sold roughly $2 billion in U.S. shares. Sales occurred across most sectors, except for industrial, BofA showed, and were mainly concentrated on large-cap companies.

Last week, the Nasdaq fell 1.34%, the S&P 500 was down 0.42% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.11%, as inflation reports came in hotter-than-expected and eroded hopes for imminent interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

Hedge funds have net sold $3.8 billion in shares this year, the bank said, leading outflows. Institutional investors have also been sellers, as well as retail. Conversely, companies are the sole net buyers, as stock buybacks are at historical high levels, totaling $17.9 billion.