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Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: Fourth Quarter 2025 Observations

Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: November 2024 Observations

Retirement plan trading was minimal throughout the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM. When trades did occur, most days saw money moving from equities to safer options like bond, money market and stable value funds.

Fourth quarter observations:        

  • Net transfers for the quarter were 0.41% of balances.
  • 54 out of 64 trading days in the fourth quarter had net trading dollars moving from equities to fixed income.

Alight Solutions 401(k) Index statistics for Q4 2025 and year-to-date:

Index statistics

Q4 

2025 YTD

Total transfers as percentage of starting balance

0.41%

1.93%

# Fixed days

54 (84%)

192 (77%)

# Equity days

10 (16%)

58 (23%)

# Above-normal1 trading days

1

44


Asset classes with most trading 

inflows in Q4 2025

Percentage of inflows

Index dollar value ($mil)

Bond funds

52%

$630

Stable value funds

15%

$180

International funds

9%

$109

Asset classes with most trading 

outflows in Q4 2025

Percentage of outflows

Index dollar value ($mil)

Company stock

42%

$511

Large U.S. equity funds

35%

$428

Small U.S. equity funds

13%

$155


Returns for common indices

Q4 2025

2025 YTD

Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

1.10%

7.30%

S&P 500 Index

2.66%

17.88%

Russell 2000 Index

2.19%

12.81%

MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. Index (net)

5.05%

32.39%

1  A “normal” level of relative transfer activity is when the net daily movement of participants’ balances, as a percent of total 401(k) balances within the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index™, equals between 0.3 times and 1.5 times the average daily net activity of the preceding 12 months. A “high” relative transfer activity day is when the net daily movement exceeds two times the average daily net activity. A “moderate” relative transfer activity day is when the net daily movement is between 1.5 and 2 times the average daily net activity of the preceding 12 months.

Related Insights


Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: December 2025 Observations

December was a slow trading month for retirement plan investors, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM.

Alight Solutions 401(k) Index™: 2025 Observations

In many ways, 2025 highlighted the key drivers of trading activity in retirement plans. During the first half of the year, trading surged as stocks slipped into negative territory.

Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM: November 2025 Observations

Retirement investors maintained a careful approach to rebalancing in November with funds overwhelmingly shifting from company stock and U.S. equities to safer fixed income investments, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM.