ETF Watch: Record Month, Record Year For Launches

After a staggering number of closures in August, with 41 different ETFs shutting down, September proved to be another record-breaking month in a very different way. The U.S.-listed ETF market saw the rollout of 41 different ETFs from several issuers.

The wave of launches included multiple new offerings from Fidelity, First Trust, AdvisorShares, Global X and Direxion, among others. In particular, Fidelity rolled out six factor-focused ETFs.  

As of the end of September, the total number of year-to-date launches stood at 191 ETFs. That’s less than the 284 ETFs that launched in all of 2015, but still a very respectable number.

At the same time, another 24 funds also shut down in September. Although that’s not as many closures as there were in August, it’s still an impressive number. Deutsche Bank alone closed eight of its ETNs, while WisdomTree pulled six funds off the market.

Contact Heather Bell at [email protected].