SECURITIES

Mutual Fund Inflow Slows: Money flowing into mutual funds slowed in September, and investor sentiment has begun shifting to conservative funds from riskier technology funds, some mutual-fund companies reported. “The equity area has been led most of the year by a surging technology sector, and with the weakened performance in those stocks since mid-September, we’re seeing a tapering off of investor interest in that area,” said Steven Norwitz, spokesman for T. Rowe Price & Associates Inc. Industrywide, the net new cash flow into equity funds was $12.7 billion in September, compared to $13.2 billion in August and $8.1 billion in September, 1994, according to data released by the Investment Company Institute. Net new cash flow is net new sales combined with net exchanges.