Golden Finance reports that data shows that retail investors are buying U.S. stocks at a faster rate than usual. The percentage of funds invested by Bank of America's retail customers in U.S. stocks as a percentage of market capitalization has exceeded the January average. Quantitative strategists including Jill Carey Hall wrote in a research note on Tuesday that as of January 10, U.S. bank retail customers bought U.S. stocks for the fifth consecutive week. Retail customers snapped up individual stocks, but there were outflows from exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The scale is the largest in a year. Institutional investors were small net buyers last week, while hedge funds sold for a sixth straight week. Strategists said institutional and hedge fund clients typically sell U.S. stocks in January. Sector-wise, Communication Services, Healthcare led the way in buying, while Consumer Staples, Industrials and Utilities saw outflows. Healthcare and financial stocks saw the largest retail inflows.