Assets in the global ETFs industry hit a new high of US$12.25 trillion by February’s end, surpassing January’s record of $11.73 trillion.
According to insights from ETF research firm ETFGI, the industry experienced a substantial influx of US$116.30 billion in net inflows during the month.
Year-to-date (YTD) net inflows soared to a record high of $253.04 billion, surpassing previous milestones of $224.30 billion in 2021 and $182.44 billion in 2022.
“The S&P 500 index increased by 5.34% in February and is up by 7.11% YTD. Developed markets excluding the US increased by 1.90% in February and are up 1.58% YTD. Ireland and Israel saw the largest increases amongst the developed markets in February.
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Emerging markets increased by 4.18% during February and are up 0.57% YTD. China and Peru saw the largest increases amongst emerging markets in February,” said Deborah Fuhr, managing partner, founder and owner of ETFGI.
In February alone, ETFs attracted significant net inflows of $116.30 billion, with equity ETFs leading the pack, reporting net inflows of $80.40 billion. This surge brought year-to-date net inflows for equity ETFs to $141.48 billion, surpassing the $20.24 billion reported during the same period in 2023.
Fixed income ETFs also experienced substantial growth, gathering $14.28 billion in net inflows for February, contributing to a year-to-date total of $44.38 billion, surpassing the figures from the previous year.
According to data, commodities ETFs/ETPs saw net outflows of $3.85 billion in February, though year-to-date net outflows remained lower than in 2023.
Active ETFs continued to attract investor interest, accumulating net inflows of $21.53 billion during February and reaching year-to-date net inflows of $46.12 billion, demonstrating a significant increase compared to the same period last year.
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The data provider attributed a noteworthy portion of the inflows to the top 20 ETFs by net new assets, which collectively amassed $63.64 billion during February. Among these, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF emerged as the leader, gathering $6.47 billion in individual net inflows.
