ETFs end 2016 with a global bang

Record inflows and assets under management capped off the year

ETFs end 2016 with a global bang
According to preliminary figures from global ETF research and consultancy firm ETFGI, globally listed ETFs reached a new record high of US$3.546 trillion in assets at the end of 2016, exceeding the end-of-November bar set at US$3.444 trillion.

Dissecting assets under management by region, AUM for ETFs listed in the US reached US$2.543 trillion in December. Europe-listed ETFs managed US$571 billion, and Asia Pacific ex-Japan reached US$135 billion. For Canada, the figure was US$84 billion.

Allowing this rise was a record net inflow level of US$65.25 billion for ETFs in December, the 35th consecutive month of net inflows. Over the course of 2016, globally listed ETFs enjoyed net inflows of US$389.34 billion, an improvement over 2015’s US$372.27 billion.

Separating inflows by asset class, equity ETFs managed an impressive US$231.91 billion during 2016. Fixed income followed at US$111.58 of net inflows, whereas commodity ETFs suffered net outflows of US$4.24 billion.

The boom of ETFs in the markets was also evident, with the global tally of ETFs reaching 6,625 at the end of December. There were 12,526 listings from 290 providers, distributed over 65 exchanges covering 53 countries.

Comparing ETF providers, iShares was top of the heap in terms of December inflows, reaching US$23.73 billion; SPDR followed with US$18.45 billion, and Vanguard took third with US$13.34 billion.

However, the true winners in 2016 were iShares, Vanguard, and SPDR, absorbing inflows of US$138.40 billion, US$96.79 billion, and US$62.47 billion respectively for the entire year.


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