U.S. bond funds have attracted record inflows this year, despite worries about inflation and expectations the Federal Reserve could roll back its pandemic-era stimulus measures earlier. According to Refinitiv Lipper data, U.S. bond funds attracted a net $612 billion in the first eleven months of this year, already surpassing the record inflow of $486.18 billion recorded in 2019. Meanwhile, U.S. equity funds saw net inflows of $248.81 billion after two years of outflows. The higher inflows into U.S. bond funds, despite a rally in equities, highlights an investor preference for safety and stable returns during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lipper data showed U.S. equity funds have delivered a return of 16.4 percent on average so far this year, compared with 0.8 percent for bond funds. U.S. taxable bond funds drew a record $465.89 billion in net buying while municipal bond funds secured purchases of $96.5 billion. …