Exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products listed globally gathered record net inflows of $63.6bn in June and $347.7bn over the first half of this year, according to research by ETF industry consultant ETFGI. This marks a significant increase compared to the net inflows of $123.5bn recorded over the first six months of 2016.

Charles Schwab has filed a regulatory request with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list its first ETF since 2013. The fund, named the Schwab 1000 Index ETF, will track an in-house index composed of the largest 1,000 US stocks by market cap putting the fund in direct competition with ETFs that track the Russell 1000 Index.

Deutsche Asset Management has announced it is offering three new ETFs on Schwab ETF OneSource, the program that provides investors and advisors with access to commission-free ETFs. The funds provide exposure to US high yield corporate bonds, as well as emerging market and Japanese equities. Fiona Bassett, head of passive asset management in the Americas for Deutsche AM, said: “Investors now have greater access to a broader selection of our unique strategies through the Deutsche X-trackers ETFs, including high yield, comprehensive factor and equity.”

Exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products listed in the US gathered $36.1 billion in net new assets during last month, a record amount for April, according to analysis from London-based ETF industry consultant ETFGI.

BlackRock Inc, the world’s biggest asset manager, on Wednesday reported double-digit profit gains as investors plowed money into lower-cost index funds, but the company’s share price slipped as revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations.

ETFGI, a London-based ETF industry consultant, has reported that assets invested in smart beta ETFs/ETPs listed globally reached a new record high of $560 billion at the end of February 2017, up from $534bn at the end of the previous month. Record levels of assets were also reached for smart beta equity ETFs/ETPs listed in the US ($499bn), Europe ($39bn), Canada, (13bn) and Asia Pacific ex-Japan ($5bn).

Charles Schwab has launched an online wealth management service that combines automated investment planning technology with access to human advisors. Schwab Intelligent Advisory provides clients with a financial and investment plan comprised of a portfolio built exclusively with exchange-traded funds and managed by computer algorithms, as well as unlimited access to a human advisor via phone or video call.

London-based ETF Securities is widening commission-free access to its range of physically-backed precious metal ETPs following agreements with platform providers E*TRADE and Interactive Brokers. The firm notes the move is in response to significantly greater demand for its products since the programme’s initial adoption with Schwab ETF OneSource in 2013.

Affluent investors between the ages of 35 and 51 represent approximately 40% of users on digital wealth manager platforms, up from 31% over the past year, according to a US-focused Cogent Reports study released by Market Strategies International. The findings suggest that Generation X investors are increasingly becoming the key demographic to future growth in automated investment advice firms, colloquially known as robo-advisors, which are significant users of ETFs in their portfolios.

Charles Schwab has announced that Schwab ETF OneSource is adding 12 more ETFs to its line up, allowing investors to trade a total of 228 ETFs without paying any commission, enrolment chanrges or early redemption fees. Heather Fischer, Vice President of ETF Platform Management at Charles Schwab, commented: “Schwab ETF OneSource is growing in every way – we’ve added to both our provider and fund ranks in the last year, and continue to offer investors of all sizes the most choice when it comes to commission-free ETFs.”