ETFs listed in Canada saw record net inflows of $18.9 billion during 2017, according to data provided by ETF industry consultants ETFGI. This is up 48.5% on the total net inflows recorded in 2016 ($12.7bn) and 44.3% more than the previous record ($13.1bn) set in 2015.
Assets invested in Canada-listed ETFs increased by $32.2bn during 2017 to reach a new high of $117bn at the end of December 2017.
ETFs providing exposure to Canadian equities were the most popular, gathering net inflows of $10.1bn during the year. Actively managed ETFs, gathered $4.8bn in 2017, while fixed income ETFs placed gathered $3.6bn.
BMO Asset Management gathered the largest net ETF inflows in 2017 with $6.9bn, followed by Vanguard with $2.4bn and iShares with $2.3bn net inflows.
After factoring in market movements, total assets invested in the Canadian ETF industry increased by $32.2bn during 2017 to reach a new high of $117bn at the end of December. The increase of 38.2%, from $84.6bn at the end of 2016 represents the greatest growth in assets since 2009 when markets recovered following the 2008 financial crisis.
This surge in assets significantly eclipsed the previous record of $19.8bn set in 2016.
Source: ETFGI.
Approximately half of these flows can be attributed to the top 20 ETFs by net new assets, which collectively gathered $9.6bn during 2017.
The BMO S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF (ZCN CN) on its own accounted for net inflows of $998 million. ZCN tracks over 200 top-ranked Canadian stocks, representing approximately 95% of the Canadian equity market.
Source: ETFGI.