According to TrimTabs Investment Research, a total of US$47.2 billion have been lost as of June for bond mutual funds and bond exchange traded funds. This is the largest monthly loss on record and exceeded outflows since October 2008, which was the height of the global banking crisis.
TrimTabs further said that mutual funds had lost US$39,9 billion this month ending June 18 and in comparison, bond exchange traded funds had lost US$7.3 billion. The previous record was set in October 2008 which lost a value of US$41.8 billion.
According to TrimTabs, "Fund investors are unloading bonds at a record pace. These record outflows are occurring even though the average bond fund's 5.0 percent loss since the start of May pales in comparisonto the losses at the height of the financial crisis."
Bond prices have been declining since the end of May, ever since Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had intimated that the US central bank would be withdrawing its US$85 billion per month purchase of bonds as the economy continues on its path of recovery.
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