(Bloomberg) -- Top rated bonds weren’t immune from the indiscriminate selling that saw $31 billion in assets exit exchange-traded funds during last week’s market turmoil.
The world’s third largest fixed-income ETF -- the iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (ticker LQD) -- suffered a record $2 billion in outflows from Monday to Friday, the most among U.S.-listed debt exchange-traded products.
At 5.5 percent, that’s LQD’s largest ever withdrawal, and its largest withdrawal as a share of total assets. The $34-billion ETF, which holds high-grade, dollar-denominated U.S. debt, outperformed products that own stocks, junk bonds, and even long-dated Treasuries. But that wasn’t enough to stem the flood of outflows.
The fund also endured a so-called death cross on Thursday, as its 50-day moving average fell below the 200-day trend.
©2018 Bloomberg L.P.