Foreign capital is storming out of the United States like rats abandoning a sinking ship, or at least that’s what the so-called market analysts tell us. It’s a mass exodus, one might say, for the easily spooked investor.
According to Adam Kobeissi, the man with the magic numbers, $37 billion fled the US equity market in May, leaving behind nothing but dusty portfolios and a bitter aftertaste. This is the largest exit in at least a year, making those poor investors with “US equities” in their portfolios squirm with discomfort. Ah, the sweet taste of regret.
“This marks the 2nd consecutive monthly net withdrawal after a mere -$7 billion in April,” Kobeissi adds, as if it weren’t enough of a blow already.
“Year-to-date, foreign investors have already abandoned a whopping $31 billion of US stocks, like a swarm of bees avoiding the hive,” he laments.
Compare this to last year, when these same investors bought a dazzling $201 billion worth of stocks in just two months, making them look like financial geniuses. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
And just when you thought things might turn around, there’s this: the market keeps “recovering” and even the 90-day tariff break that started on April 10th couldn’t bring the foreign crowd back. No, no, they’ve decided to leave. “We’re done here,” they said.
But wait, there’s a twist! Enter the unsung heroes: retail investors, the uninvited guests who still seem to believe in the miracle of stock markets. Retail traders, like eager shoppers on Black Friday, have jumped in to fill the void. And it seems like they’re buying with all the gusto of a herd of bulls on caffeine.
“Retail investors bought +$23 billion of US equities in May, adding to +$40 billion from March and April,” Kobeissi reveals, as if to say, “Look at them go!”
“This fits perfectly with $25 billion in average monthly purchases this year,” according to JPMorgan, who are surely popping open the champagne. Retail investors are making it rain… in their own little way.
So far this year, individual investors have sunk a record-breaking +$150 billion into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and single stocks, proving they’re either very brave or completely clueless—one can never be sure.
Just last week, retail traders threw $6.8 billion into the pot, with $4.4 billion specifically buying up Tesla, TSLA. Yes, the Elon Musk cult remains strong. However, their portfolios aren’t exactly shining with success. Retail investors are now down -2.6% on the year, lagging behind the S&P 500’s modest +1.0% growth. But don’t worry, retail, you’re still “in the game.”
“Retail is going all-in on this market,” says Kobeissi, with a touch of disbelief.
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2025-06-09 15:05