Exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products listed globally gathered USD34.8bn in net new assets in June and USD126.6bn year-to-date, which outpaces the previous high of USD106.4bn at this point set in 2012, according to data released by ETFGI.
Net flows combined with positive market performance during H1 2014 pushed assets in the global ETF/ETP industry to a new record high of USD2.64tn invested in 5,359 ETFs/ETPs, with 10,401 listings, from 219 providers listed on 59 exchanges.
The ETF/ETP industry in most countries and regions reached new record highs in assets at the end of Q2 2014, including: in the US USD1.86tn; in Europe USD470bn; in Asia Pacific ex Japan USD 96.7bn; in Japan USD90.1bn; in Canada USD65.7bn; and in the Middle East and Africa USD43.5bn.
“In June investors invested almost all net new money into equity exposures with the US and emerging markets being the preferred allocations. The S&P 500 index ended up seven per cent at the end of Q2 2014, closing at an all-time high (1963) on June 20th. Internationally, developed markets gained two per cent and emerging markets are up four per cent. The positive equity market performance has helped to improve investor confidence during the first half of 2014,” says Deborah Fuhr, managing partner at ETFGI.
At the end of Q2 ETFs/ETPs had gathered a record level of USD126.6bn in net inflows. Equity ETFs/ETPs gathered USD84.2bn, followed by fixed income with USD36.5bn, while commodity ETFs/ETPs had net outflows of USD3.0bn.
Assets in iShares ETFs/ETPs surpassed USD1tn at the end of Q2 2014. In the past two years assets invested in iShares ETFs/ETPs have increased by USD351bn, while iShares’ market share has declined by nearly one per cent, falling from 38.7 per cent to 37.9 per cent. YTD iShares gathered the largest in net inflows, USD38.0bn, followed by Vanguard with USD34.7bn, First Trust with USD6.51bn, Nomura AM with USD4.66bn and Guggenheim with USD4.39bn in net inflows.
