Investors have responded to the turbulence in financial markets this month by pulling billions from real estate and global equity funds as both sectors suffered their worst week since the start of the year in the seven days to August 22.

EPFR Global, a US-based data provider that tracks fund flows, found $3bn (€2.2bn) yanked from global equity portfolios during the week, while real estate stock funds have been suffering net redemptions since April.