U.S. junk bond mutual funds saw a $70 million outflow in the week ended Wednesday, the 10th outflow in the past 11 weeks, according to AMG Data Services.

The outflows, reported late on Thursday, followed a revised $125 million outflow in the prior week and pushed total outflows this year to about $8.5 billion.

Junk bonds, which lack investment-grade ratings, were hit with profit-taking in April and early May but were showing early signs of a comeback. Counting interest and price changes, total returns for the year stand at 1.2 percent, compared with a loss of about 1.8 percent in mid-May, according to Merrill Lynch.

Appetite for junk bonds has diminished this year as returns in the market lagged last year’s strong performance. This time last year, the market was up 17.9 percent, and gains for the full year topped 28 percent, according to Merrill Lynch.

(AMG Data Services)