Institutional investors dumped a record $21.6B in Nasdaq futures in the week ending August 4th, with combined positioning turning negative for the first time since May 2025.
Macro & Markets ·
Institutional investors sold a record $21.6 billion in Nasdaq futures during the week ending August 4th, marking the largest weekly liquidation on record, according to Goldman Sachs. Short sales comprised 72% of the total volume, with hedge funds accounting for $11.9 billion of the selloff and asset managers contributing $7.4 billion.
The selling has shifted the aggregate positioning of institutional investors in Nasdaq futures into negative territory at -$5 billion, a reversal that represents the first time since May 2025 that combined positioning has turned bearish. This contrasts sharply with positioning as recently as October 2025, when the same metric stood at +$54 billion.
The timing of these sales into market strength suggests institutional appetite for technology equities has deteriorated materially, though the underlying drivers—whether technical profit-taking, macro concerns, or repositioning—remain unspecified in available reporting.