The US money-market fund industry lured roughly $127 billion of fresh cash in August, marking the biggest month of inflows this year as investors lock in lofty yields before the Federal Reserve starts cutting interest rates.

Some $21.1 billion was added to the funds in the week ending Aug. 28, according to the latest Investment Company Institute data. The inflows put total assets at an all-time high of $6.26 trillion, up from a previous record of $6.24 trillion in the week prior.

Money-market funds have surged in popularity thanks to attractive returns brought on by elevated US interest rates, which the Fed has left at a two-decade high for more than a year.

In fact, demand has ramped up for investors who want to lock in yields before Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues start easing policy — a pivot expected to take place next month. The funds are usually slower to pass on the effects of lower rates, compared to banks.

August’s inflows also got a boost after a major selloff in risky assets early in the month sent money managers scurrying for safe investments.

On Wall Street, the debate has begun heating up over whether money market funds will remain so popular once the Fed starts cutting rates. For now, though, lingering uncertainty about the pace and size of the reductions is helping to keep cash parked in short-term investments.

Plus, institutions and the likes of corporate treasurers tend to outsource cash management during such periods in order to capture yield, rather than grapple with it themselves.

In a breakdown for the period ending Aug. 28, government funds — which invest primarily in securities such as Treasury bills, repurchase agreements and agency debt — saw assets rise to $5.08 trillion, a $21.1 billion increase. Prime funds that tend to invest in higher-risk assets such as commercial paper saw assets rise to $1.054 trillion, a $530 million increase.

On the institutional side, cash left prime money-market funds, an indication investors are starting to shift their allocations ahead of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s latest set of regulations, which are slated to take effect at the beginning of October. 

This article was provided by Bloomberg News.