Assets of retail money market mutual funds fell $3.12 billion, to $423.22 billion, in the week that ended April 26, the Investment Company Institute reported.
It was the first decline in a month. Throughout the first part of April, retail investors had responded to volatility in the stock and bond markets by pumping assets into money market funds.
The data suggest that retail investors are beginning to return to stocks and bonds as those markets stabilize, a spokesman for the Washington-based institute said.
Money market assets for institutional investors were also down in the week.
These funds held assets of $173.47 billion, a $2.1 billion decline.
Total assets of money market mutual funds were $596.68 billion, a decline of $5.22 billion from the $601.9 billion in the previous week.
