The world's wealthiest family just revealed these telltale risk-off stock moves

• The investment firm for the world's wealthiest family just revealed more exposure to short-term Treasury funds.
• The Walton Investment Team also decreased its exposure to emerging-market stocks.
• The Walton family's fortune stood at about $238 billion earlier this year, half of which is due to Walmart.

The investment firm for the world's wealthiest family just revealed traditionally risk-off stock moves, including more exposure to short-term Treasury funds and less exposure to emerging-market stocks.

The Walton Investment Team, or WIT, held around $5 billion in stocks and exchange-traded funds at the end of the third quarter, most of which was invested in low-cost ETFs, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing regulatory filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

WIT, which manages a portfolio for the family behind retail giant Walmart, increased its stake in the Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF by adding 9.66 million shares. The position amounts to $1.36 billion, up from $593.1 million.

The firm also shored up its investments in the iShares Short-Term National Muni Bond ETF.

Meanwhile, WIT decreased its exposure to the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets fund by nearly 5 million shares, which now amounts to just $1.8 billion.

The Walton family's fortune stood at about $238 billion earlier this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, half of which is due to Walmart.

Sam Walton founded Walmart in 1950, and his descendants were previously very low-key about their enormous wealth. But that has become increasingly difficult since the SEC requires those managing more than $100 million in stocks to disclose holdings, Bloomberg reported.

WIT was launched in 2020 and is an "affiliate" of the main office that manages the Walton family fortune, a representative told Bloomberg earlier this year.