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Foreign Investors Pull $37 Billion From US Stocks In May—Largest Monthly Exit In A Year: Exodus Amid Market Recovery, 90-Day Tariff Pause

Benzinga·06/09/2025 02:13:40
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New figures from U.S. equity markets indicate a troubling trend, as foreign investors pull back amid mounting uncertainties and persistent volatility over the past two months.

What Happened: On Sunday, popular investment newsletter, The Kobeissi Letter, posted on X, citing Goldman Sachs data, showed that foreign investors pulled $37 billion from U.S. equities in May, marking the second consecutive month of outflows following a $7 billion withdrawal in April.

This sharp pullback, which also marks the biggest monthly outflow in at least a year, comes amid tariffs and trade tensions that continue to persist, over two months into President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcements.

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Despite a strong domestic equity rally following the temporary 90-day easing of trade tensions starting April 10, overseas capital continues to rotate out of American markets. The year-to-date tally now sits at a net $31 billion in outflows, showing a sharp reversal in sentiment, compared ot $201 billion in net inflows between just November and December last year.

This comes as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), which tracks the S&P 500, the Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) for the Nasdaq, and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (NYSE:DIA) witnessed strong recoveries over the past two months, and are up 2.48%, 3.86%, and 1.08% year-to-date, respectively.

This exodus suggests that macro risks, including geopolitical instability, currency fluctuations, and concern over U.S. trade and fiscal policy, are all outweighing near-term market optimism.

“Foreigners are rotating out of US stocks,” the post concludes, highlighting the divergence being seen between investor sentiments domestically and abroad.

Why It Matters: Economist Peter Schiff, who’s been a vocal critic of Trump’s tariffs, pointed out the irony of these outflows way back in April, saying that “Trump thought tariffs would bring capital into America. Instead, it triggered a global run out of U.S. assets.”

This shift is also visible among domestic investors, with international ETFs such as the Schwab International Equity ETF (NYSE:SCHF) and the Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF (NASDAQ:VXUS), soaring 18.55% and 15.60% year-to-date, respectively, hitting their 52-week highs in recent weeks.

Photo Courtesy: Gsign76 On Shutterstock.com

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