US Money-Market Fund Assets Hit Record as Investors Seek Safety

Money-market funds, which typically hold Treasury bills, repurchase agreements and other short-dated instruments, have become a favored defensive allocation as the Iran conflict fuels oil prices and inflation concerns. With stocks, longer-term government bonds and gold under pressure at the same time, investors are prioritizing liquidity and relatively stable income. The funds also adjust their yields faster than many bank deposits when interest rates change.

US money-market fund assets reached a record $8.2896 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, Federal Reserve Financial Accounts data updated on June 11 showed. That was up $99.4 billion from $8.1902 trillion at the end of 2025. Crane Data estimates the sector attracted more than $1 trillion of net inflows over the past year, while the 100 largest funds yielded about 3.5% at the end of April.