Why Investors Are Pouring Record Sums Into European Stocks — And Leaving Wall Street Behind

Something unusual is happening in global capital markets. After years of persistent outflows and chronic underperformance relative to the United States, European equities are suddenly the destination of choice for the world’s biggest investors — and the money is arriving at a pace never seen before.

February 2026 is on track to be the highest month for inflows into European stocks ever recorded. Two consecutive weeks of approximately $10 billion in flows have poured into European equity funds, according to data from EPFR, which tracks ETF and mutual fund allocations globally. The Stoxx Europe 600, the continent’s blue-chip benchmark, has punched through a series of all-time highs this month, closing above 630 for the first time. National indices in the UK, France, Germany and Spain have all hit records of their own. The FTSE 100 crossed the symbolic 10,000 mark for the first time earlier this year. The DAX posted its best annual performance in six years in 2025 and has continued climbing.

The reversal is striking. Between 2022 and 2024, European equity funds experienced persistent net selling, particularly from domestic investors. Cumulative flows over a four-to-five year window have only just turned positive. The fact that they are now accelerating — at record pace — reflects a confluence of forces that is reshaping how global allocators think about risk, value and diversification.

The US Problem

The primary driver is not enthusiasm for Europe. It is anxiety about America.

US equity valuations have stretched to levels that are making even bullish investors uncomfortable. The S&P 500 trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of approximately 27.7, compared with 18.3 for the Stoxx Europe 600, according to London Stock Exchange Group data. The gap is largely explained by the dominance of technology megacaps in US indices — companies whose valuations have been turbocharged by AI enthusiasm but which are now facing growing questions about whether the investment cycle can sustain itself.

Concerns over a potential AI bubble have intensified this year, with several high-profile earnings misses in the US tech sector and growing scepticism about the near-term revenue potential of generative AI applications. That has prompted a rotation out of the concentrated, tech-heavy US market and into regions offering broader sector exposure.

“It’s a lot of global investors wanting to diversify away from an expensive US market,” said Sharon Bell, senior equities strategist at Goldman Sachs. “Europe as an equity market offers a different exposure — there’s less tech.”

That different exposure is precisely the point. European indices carry heavy weightings in banking, industrials, energy, healthcare, defence and consumer goods — “old economy” sectors that benefit from economic recovery, fiscal stimulus and rising defence budgets rather than from speculative momentum around a single technology theme.

The European Recovery Story

The rotation is being reinforced by genuine improvement in European economic fundamentals. Germany, the region’s largest economy, returned to growth last year for the first time since 2022. A recent surge in German factory orders has bolstered confidence that the historic defence spending package announced last year is beginning to permeate the real economy. Bank of America analysts have upgraded German equities to overweight in response.

The eurozone as a whole is expected to grow by around 1.3 per cent in 2026, according to Goldman Sachs forecasts — modest by global standards, but meaningful after years of stagnation. Inflation has cooled significantly, giving the European Central Bank room to maintain a supportive policy stance. Consumer confidence, while still fragile, has stabilised. Corporate earnings growth is forecast at around 5 per cent for 2026 and 7 per cent for 2027, with banks, financial services and European technology companies expected to lead the gains.

Goldman Sachs has lifted its 12-month target for the Stoxx Europe 600 to 625, implying around 8 per cent total return. Citi is more bullish still, with a target of 640 and an expectation of 11 per cent earnings-per-share growth. Both banks point to the same underlying thesis: European equities are not cheap by their own historical standards — they sit in the 71st percentile of their 25-year P/E range — but they are substantially cheaper than almost every other major asset class, and dramatically cheaper than the US.

Who Is Buying

The composition of the inflows matters as much as their size. A significant share of the buying is coming from US-based investors — allocators who spent years overweight domestic tech and are now actively seeking geographical diversification. This is a structural shift rather than a tactical trade. After a decade in which US exceptionalism was the dominant investment thesis, the combination of elevated valuations, concentrated sector risk and political uncertainty under the current administration is prompting a reassessment.

“Investors are essentially scanning the world and asking: where are the cheapest spots? Where are the opportunities?” noted one strategist. For many, Europe — with its valuation discount, sector diversification and improving macro backdrop — is the answer.

Institutional flows into European ETFs confirm the trend. The EURO STOXX 50, STOXX Europe 600 and DAX indices all attracted record ETF inflows in 2025, a pattern that has accelerated into 2026. Cyclical sectors are drawing the bulk of allocations, with industrials, financials and materials leading the way — a clear signal that investors are positioning for economic recovery rather than defensive shelter.

Risks Remain

None of this means European markets are without risk. The continent faces persistent structural challenges: low productivity growth, demographic headwinds, and an industrial base under pressure from Chinese competition and elevated energy costs. The chemicals and automotive sectors remain under significant strain, though these represent a relatively small share of the Stoxx Europe 600’s market capitalisation.

Geopolitical uncertainty also looms. The unresolved conflict in Ukraine, rising US–Iran tensions, and the unpredictable trajectory of US trade policy all have the potential to disrupt the current rally. And some strategists are already warning that the easy gains may be behind us. A Bloomberg poll of 17 forecasters found a median expectation that the Stoxx Europe 600 will finish 2026 roughly where it is now — suggesting the tailwinds have been largely priced in.

But for global investors who spent the past decade overweight a single country, a single sector and a single narrative, the case for European diversification has rarely looked stronger. The money is following the logic. Whether the fundamentals can sustain the flows will be the defining question for European markets in the months ahead.

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