With market volatility continuing, 401(k) investors remained busy but cautious traders in the second quarter of 2022, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) IndexTM. There were 17 above-normal1 trading days in the quarter, slightly higher than the 16 above-normal days seen in Q1. Net transfers as a percentage of starting balances were 0.46%, identical to the percentage seen in the prior quarter. Net trading activity significantly favored fixed income.
Second quarter observations:
- Net transfers for the quarter were 0.46% of balances.
- 51 out of 62 trading days in the second quarter had net trading dollars moving from equities to fixed income.
| Alight Solutions 401(k) Index™ statistics for Q2 2022 and year-to-date: | ||
| Index statistics | Q2 2022 | 2022 YTD | 
| Total transfers as percentage of starting balance | 0.46% | 0.86% | 
| # Fixed days | 51 (82%) | 93 (75%) | 
| # Equity days | 11 (18%) | 31 (25%) | 
| # Above-normal1 days | 17 | 33 | 
| Asset classes with most trading inflows in Q2 2022 | Percentage of inflows | Index dollar value ($mil) | 
| Stable value funds | 86% | $964 | 
| Money market funds | 13% | $148 | 
| Self-directed window funds | 1% | $8 | 
| Asset classes with most trading outflows in Q2 2022 | Percentage of outflows | Index dollar value ($mil) | 
| Target date funds2 | 56% | $629 | 
| Large U.S. equity funds | 17% | $194 | 
| Company stock | 6% | $62 | 
| Returns for common indices | Q2 2022 | 2022 YTD | 
| Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Index | -4.7% | -10.4% | 
| S&P 500 Index | -16.1% | -20.0% | 
| Russell 2000 Index | -17.2% | -25.2% | 
| MSCI All Country World ex-U.S. Index (net) | -13.7% | -19.4% | 
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.
2 Target date funds also include the amounts in target risk funds. The amount in the target risk funds is less than 10% of the total.
