Institutional money regains lead over retail as stock market driver

Vanda Research data show institutional investors staying put on stocks while retail traders move to the sidelines after a long buying streak. Strategist Viraj Patel said institutional options flows are roughly three times a typical September and have picked up over five sessions even as 10- and 30-year US Treasury yields reached their highest levels in more than a decade. He called that a constructive sign for risk appetite as big investors buy selective AI plays, including Meta, whose shares rose almost 13% in the week after its Muse Charm device debut.