AI Brings the Money Back to Stocks: Global Equity Funds Draw $44.1 Billion in a Week

Global equity funds attracted $44.1 billion over the week — the largest capital inflow since early July. The two-week selloff in global stocks is over: investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence and falling oil prices outweighed a sharp rise in bond yields, according to a Reuters review carried by the Prime news agency.

Close-up of a modern workstation with dark defocused financial screens and a small unbranded AI accelerator circuit board in sharp focus on the desk

AI brought the risk appetite back

Technology was the main driver of the week: dedicated tech funds pulled in $5.29 billion, their largest inflow since July 29. Investor sentiment turned after a new artificial-intelligence application topped the download rankings in the United States.

The market drew additional momentum from record exports out of South Korea: semiconductor shipments surged over the first 20 days of September, confirming demand for AI computing infrastructure. By Goldman Sachs estimates, AI investment already accounts for nearly half of this year's profit growth among companies in the S&P 500 index.

"Demand for AI proves that investors are staying fully invested," one investor noted, as cited by Reuters.

A microchip on a circuit board: semiconductor demand underpins AI investment and inflows into technology funds — Chip demand as the engine of the rally: semiconductor exports from South Korea surged in early September 2026, adding momentum to technology funds.

Where the money went: the regional breakdown

US equity funds — $37.6 billion, a three-month high;
European funds — $2.26 billion;
Asian funds — $2.21 billion;
Technology funds — $5.29 billion, the most since July 29.

In total, more than 85% of the weekly inflow went to funds focused on the US market.

Bonds keep the risks in view

The equity rally is unfolding against an uneasy bond-market backdrop: the yield on 30-year US Treasuries reached a 22-year high of 5.5% amid expectations of further tightening by the Federal Reserve. Expensive long-dated government paper traditionally competes with stocks for investor capital, yet in the reporting week the AI factor and cheaper oil proved stronger.

The scale of the reversal matters: a single week erased two weeks of net selling, and the regional structure shows where conviction sits — more than four fifths of the new money chose US-focused funds, while Europe and Asia together absorbed under $4.5 billion. The 30-year Treasury yield at 5.5016% remains the key test: should long-dated yields keep climbing on Fed tightening expectations, the competition for capital between bonds and equities will intensify again.

Why it matters for markets

The return of $44.1 billion to equity funds after two weeks of selling shows that investors are in no hurry to trim technology positions, despite multi-year highs in government bond yields. How durable the inflow is will depend on whether AI investment keeps translating into corporate earnings and whether the price support from the oil market holds.