Boston-based Financial Research Corporation says several bond groups are attracting strong capital flows in the first three quarters of 2009.
In terms of the specific Morningstar categories, intermediate-term bonds have absorbed $16 billion through September 2009 and now have about $96 billion in assets. Short-term bonds have grown by $8 billion and include $36 billion in AUM.
The muni-national short-term category has had $4 billion in inflows through September 2009 and now has $27 billion in assets. World bonds have drawn $4 billion and stand at $9 billion in AUM, while inflation-protected bonds have grown by $3 billion to $20 billion in assets. And high-yield bonds drew $2 billion in the past nine months and total $21 billion in assets.
Diversified emerging-market funds have been popular, growing by $4 billion to total $20 billion. Precious-metal funds have $16.5 billion in assets after attracting $2 billion in the first three quarters of 2009, during which time natural-resource funds had $1 billion in inflows to give them $22 billion in AUM.
Vanguard remains at the top of the charts for its assets under management. Excluding proprietary funds of funds, the group has some $1.1 trillion of AUM as of September 30, 2009. American Funds has $880 billion, while Fidelity has $713 billion. ETF-giant Barclays Global Investors has $353 billion.
The bond shop Pimco is in fifth place with $294 billion, while Franklin Templeton has $268 billion and T. Rowe Price $203 billion, according to FRC.
