Investors' appetite for international stocks growing

U.S. stock mutual funds attracted $1.1 billion during the week ended Feb. 14, bringing the year's total to nearly $21 billion.

Individual investors added money to U.S. stocks for a seventh straight week last week, but they're continuing to show an even stronger appetite for international stocks.

While U.S. stock mutual funds attracted $1.1 billion during the week ended Feb. 14, international stock funds lured nearly $3.5 billion, according to data from the Investment Company Institute. So far this year, investors have poured almost $21 billion in U.S. stocks and more than $32 billion in global stocks, bringing the total stocks inflow to more than $53 billion.

Related: Sluggish economy may signal correction

That fact that investors are showing love for stocks is a sharp contrast from the past several years. The last time investors added more money to stock funds than they took out was in 2007, when U.S. stocks rose to record highs. Both the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 are back near those levels.

While investors added to their stock holdings, they're also continuing to pad their bond holdings. Bond fund raked in $4.7 billion last week, bringing the year's total to $47 billion. In 2012, bond funds brought in more than $300 billion.

Hybrid funds, which invest in both stocks and bonds, gained $2 billion last week, according to ICI data.

Posted in: bonds, hybrid funds, ici, inflows, international stocks, investment company institute, mutual funds, outlfows, stocks, u.s. stocks

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  Hibah Yousuf - Dec 7, 2012 10:05 AM ET
  Posted in: bonds, fiscal cliff, fund flows, hybrid funds, mutual funds, stocks

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  Hibah Yousuf - Nov 30, 2012 11:29 AM ET
  Posted in: bonds, fiscal cliff, funds, hybrid funds, inflow, investment company institute, mutual funds, outflow, stocks

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  Hibah Yousuf - Nov 15, 2012 11:19 AM ET
  Posted in: bonds, hybrid funds, inflow, international stocks, mutual funds, outflow, stocks, u.s. bonds, u.s. stocks

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  Investors continue to flee the stock market and move their money into bonds.

  U.S. stock mutual funds lost $1.87 billion during the week ended Oct. 24, according to the Investment Company Institute. That's an improvement over the prior week, when investors pulled $2.12 billion out. At the same time, investors continued to add to their bond holdings with U.S. bond mutual funds seeing inflows of $6.6 billion.

  And ICI data show MORE

  Maureen Farrell - Nov 2, 2012 5:52 AM ET
  Posted in: bonds, hybrid funds, mutual funds, outlfows, stocks

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  Posted in: bonds, China, earning, global economy, hybrid funds, inflow, mutual funds, outflow, slowdown, stocks

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  Hibah Yousuf - Sep 13, 2012 1:54 PM ET
  Posted in: central banks, ECB, Fed, hybrid funds, investors, mutual funds, QE3, stock market, stocks

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  Interestingly, investors added money to U.S. stocks during the final week of May MORE

  Catherine Tymkiw - Jun 21, 2012 3:18 PM ET
  Posted in: bonds, dow, economy, Europe, hybrid funds, inflow, mutual funds, Nasdaq, outflow, s&p 400, stocks