Global ETF assets surpass US$3 trillion

Assets invested in ETFs and ETPs across the globe have broken through the US$3-trillion milestone, finds ETFGI’s preliminary monthly global insight report.

As of the end of May, assets under management reached a new record of US$3.015 trillion. And, says the report, the global ETF industry currently consists of 5,757 ETFs and ETPs, as well as 11,117 listings from 256 providers that are listed on 62 exchanges.

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“Our forecast was that assets would break through US$3 trillion by the middle of 2015, says Deborah Fuhr, managing partner of ETFGI. “It took the industry 19 years to reach US$1 trillion in assets under management, [but] just 25 years, overall, to reach US$3 trillion.

“The [industry’s] increasing rate of asset growth illustrates how ETFs have been embraced by institutional investors, financial advisors and retail investors.”

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A record level of assets was also reached at the end of May for ETFs and ETPs listed in the United States at US$2.15 trillion, as well as in Japan at US$117 billion.

During the month of May, ETFs and ETPs listed globally saw net inflows of US$19.1 billion, with equity products gathering net inflows of US$20.8 billion. Meanwhile, fixed-income offerings posted net outflows of US$1.5 billion and commodity ETFs saw net outflows of US$912 million.

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This story originally appeared on the site of our sister publication, Advisor.ca.