Retail investors are buying U.S. stocks at a faster pace than usual, data shows. Bank of America's retail clients have put more money into U.S. stocks as a percentage of market capitalization than the January average. Bank of America retail clients bought U.S. stocks for the fifth week in a row as of January 10, but outflows from exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were the largest in a year, according to quantitative strategists such as Jill Carey Hall, who wrote in a research note on Tuesday. Institutional investors made small net purchases last week, while hedge funds sold for the sixth week in a row. Institutional and hedge fund clients typically sell U.S. stocks in January, strategists said. From a sector perspective, communications services and healthcare led the buying, while consumer staples, industrials and utilities saw outflows. Retail money flowed most into healthcare and financials.