The recent market gyrations and decline prompted some retirement investors to react by shifting their 401(k) investments from large-cap stocks and target-date funds to safer options like stable-value, bond, and money-market funds. 

The trading volume was nearly 700% the usual level, marking the highest activity since March 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the market's volatility, most 401(k) participants did not alter their accounts, but those who did generally moved towards more conservative investments to mitigate risk. 

The S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average both showed slight gains by the market's close but remained below their mid-July highs. However stable value funds received a bulk of the inflows at just over 60%.

Finsum: While the recent sell off was prompted by international currency fluctuations, expect more volatility this fall and potentially more inflows into stable value.