Part 6/12:
The international perspective further underscores mounting economic fragility. Foreign investors are rapidly withdrawing from US equity markets, driven by increasing volatility and uncertainty. Data shows that in just one week, about $6.5 billion was pulled out of US stock funds— the second-largest weekly withdrawal on record. A significant portion of global confidence in the US is waning; a Bank of America survey indicates that 50% of institutional investors plan to reduce their equity exposure, a figure comparable to the height of the banking crisis in March 2023.