CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: [ MORN ]), a leading provider of independent investment research, today reported estimated U.S. [ mutual fund ] asset flows through August 2012. Long-term mutual fund inflows were just $20.7 billion in August, as open-end U.S.-stock funds tallied yet another month of outflows, losing $14.3 billion.

Additional highlights from Morningstar's report on mutual fund flows:

Investors poured $26.4 billion into taxable-bond funds ($30.0 billion if ETF flows are included) and another $5.6 billion into municipal-bond funds in August. Altogether, inflows into these funds surpassed $1.1 trillion since the end of 2008 when the Fed cut rates to zero.
U.S.-stock mutual funds and ETFs bled $22.4 billion in August, making it the worst month in two years and the fifth worst during the past five years for the asset class.
International-stock funds had $2.8 billion in outflows, the group's worst showing since December 2011.
Investors seem to have lost their taste for world-bond and inflation-protected bond funds. These two former market darlings absorbed just over $600 million in combined August inflows.
Old Westbury burst on the scene in August with inflows of $1.4 billion, while the American Funds logged another $5.5 billion in outflows.

To view the complete report, please visit [ http://www.global.morningstar.com/augustflows12 ]. To view a video recapping August's U.S. fund flow trends, please visit [ http://bit.ly/augflows ]. For more information about Morningstar Asset Flows, please visit [ http://global.morningstar.com/assetflows ].

The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

About Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on more than 385,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 8 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its registered investment advisor subsidiaries and has more than $186 billion in assets under advisement and management as of June 30, 2012. The company has operations in 27 countries.

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Media Contact:
Carling Spelhaug, 312-696-6150 or [ carling.spelhaug@morningstar.com ]

SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.

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Morningstar Reports U.S. Mutual Fund Asset Flows Through August 2012

Morningstar Reports U.S. Mutual Fund Asset Flows Through August 2012