Assets under management in ETFs (and ETPs) globally have risen above $6 trillion as of the end of November 2019, according to data from ETF industry research firm ETFGI.
Total AUM rose 2.5% during the month, from $5.96tn to $6.12tn, driven by a combination of strong net inflows and healthy market performance.
The industry attracted net inflows of $75.3 billion in November, the fourth-highest monthly net inflow on record.
Equity ETFs accounted for the majority of net inflows with $56.9bn, followed by fixed income with $16.4bn, while commodity ETFs suffered $1.7bn in net outflows.
Robust demand during the month has increased year-to-date (YTD) net inflows to $477.0bn which is higher than the $439.6bn gathered at this point last year.
YTD net inflows are the second-highest ever but some way off the bumper inflows of $654.0bn gathered by the end of November in 2017.
November’s bullish equity market sentiment, especially in the US, also helped to achieve the landmark, as Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner and Founder of ETFGI, explains: “During November the S&P 500 gained 3.6% as global markets were resistant to fears of inflation and showed optimism on the trade talks. Global equities as measured by the S&P Global BMI were up 2.5% and the S&P Emerging BMI gained 0.1%.”
Robust net inflows and upwards-trending stock markets have also helped ETFs experience outsized AUM growth over the whole year – AUM across the industry is up 27% YTD which is significantly greater than the 20.1% compound annual growth rate over the past ten years.
At the end of November, the global ETF industry had 7,926 ETFs/ETPs, with 15,883 listings from 429 providers on 70 exchanges in 58 countries.
Most major geographical regions also reached new record high AUM levels at the end of November including the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan.
Assets invested in ETFs listed in the US reached a new record high of $4.28tn at the end of November following net inflows of $50.9bn during the month. YTD net inflows stand at $274.0bn which is the second-highest on record. The US currently has 2,346 ETFs/ETPs, from 151 providers on three exchanges.
Assets invested in ETFs and ETPs listed in Canada reached a new record high of $150.7bn at the end of November following bumper net inflows of $3.4bn during the month – the highest on record. YTD net inflows stand at 17.6bn which is also the highest on record. Canada currently has 747 ETFs/ETPs, with 902 listings, from 36 providers on two exchanges.
Assets invested ETFs and ETPs listed in Europe reached a new record high of $982.1bn at the end of November 2019 following net inflows of $15.9bn during the month – the fourth-highest monthly inflow on record. YTD net inflows stand at $104.8bn which is the second-highest on record. Europe currently has 2,210 ETFs/ETPs, with 8,420 listings, from 71 providers on 27 exchanges.
Assets invested in ETFs and ETPs listed in Japan reached a new record high of $391.9bn at the end of November, despite net outflows of $949 million during the month. YTD net inflows of $35.7bn are the fourth-highest on record. Japan currently has 224 ETFs/ETPs, with 259 listings, from 19 providers on two exchanges.