Fastest Growing ETFs 2019
ETFs like 'VOO' and 'USMV' may have seen the largest absolute dollar inflows of the year, but many ETFs are growing faster on a percentage basis.
Here at ETF.com, we talk a lot about flows. Each day, each week and each month, we put together lists of the ETFs that garner the largest inflows and the largest outflows of assets—an indication of where investors are putting their money to work.
Most of the time, the same batch of ETFs finds itself on these lists. These funds are usually super liquid, extraordinarily cheap and have billions of dollars in assets. For example, in 2019, the $142 billion Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) and the $38 billion iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol U.S.A. ETF (USMV) saw the largest inflows, totaling $15.4 billion and $12.5 billion, respectively.
No matter how you slice it, those are sizable inflows. That said, VTI and USMV aren’t necessarily the ETFs growing the fastest.
On an absolute basis they are, but not on a percentage basis. Year-to-date inflows for the two ETFs represent an increase of 16.4% and 66.8%, respectively, over their total assets at the start of the year. Those are huge, impressive gains for such large ETFs, but nowhere close to the top of the heap.
On a percentage basis, there are loads of ETFs that have grown much faster in 2019—ETFs that almost never make our flows lists because they are starting from a much smaller asset base. In this article, we’ll take a look at these fast-growing funds, which, in many cases, are flying under the radar of the ETF investing public at large.
Measuring Growth
Admittedly, it’s much easier for a small fund to register a big percentage increase in its assets. A fund with only $1 million in assets under management (AUM) simply has to grow to $2 million for its assets to double. Is that noteworthy? Not really.
How about a $1 million fund growing to $50 million? Now that could be noteworthy for some; others might not pay attention until a fund grows even larger, into the hundred-million or even the billion-dollar range.
That’s why we’ve put together two lists: one that showcases the fastest-growing ETFs of the year no matter their starting level of assets, and another that includes ETFs that had $50 million or more in assets at the start of 2019.
Fastest Growing ETFs of 2019 (Starting AUM >$0)
Data measures the year-to-date period through Dec. 31, 2019
Heady Growth From A Small Base
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first list includes smaller ETFs that grew their assets from a tiny asset base. That includes the MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETN (FNGO), which attracted inflows of $34 million in 2019, a sizable sum for a product that had a mere $310,000 in assets at the start of the year.
Two Invesco products, the Invesco RAFI Strategic Developed ex-US ETF (ISDX) and the Invesco RAFI Strategic US ETF (IUS) also caught fire, picking up $242 million and $122 million of new assets, respectively. Those are phenomenal figures considering the two products, which weight their holdings based on fundamental factors, started the year with only $2 million in assets each.
Not to be outdone, the Franklin Liberty Investment Grade Corporate ETF (FLCO) went from a $17 million fund to a half-billion-dollar fund in 2019 thanks to inflows of $548 million. FLCO is an actively managed fixed income product with a current distribution yield of 3.7%.
Meanwhile, a pair of products from the Innovator suite of buffered equity ETFs also grew swiftly. The Innovator S&P 500 Buffer ETF – July (BJUL) and the Innovator S&P 500 Power Buffer ETF – July (PJUL) registered inflows of more than $66 million each in 2019, a hefty gain from their $2 million to $3 million starting balance.
BJUL and PJUL are a part of the hugely successful Innovator family of defined outcome ETFs, which provide capped exposure to U.S. equities, while limiting downside for investors.
Future Giants?
Thus far, the ETFs we’ve looked at began the year with only a few million dollars in assets. The largest among those was the Franklin Liberty Investment Grade Corporate ETF (FLCO), which started 2019 with $17.3 million in AUM and increased to $583 million.
Next, we’ll take a look at ETFs that began the year with a larger asset base—$50 million or more. Naturally, the growth of assets for these funds is smaller, but still extremely impressive.
Fastest Growing ETFs of 2019 (Starting AUM >$50M)
Fastest Growing ETFs of 2019 (Starting AUM >$50M) | ||||
Ticker | Fund | 2018 Year-End AUM ($M) | 2019 Inflows | Inflows % of AUM |
ESGU | iShares ESG MSCI U.S.A. ETF | 122.1 | 1191.2 | 975% |
BBRE | JPMorgan BetaBuilders MSCI U.S. REIT ETF | 113.3 | 1050.6 | 927% |
DWT | VelocityShares 3x Inverse Crude Oil ETN | 63.5 | 515.9 | 813% |
VSGX | Vanguard ESG International Stock ETF | 62.0 | 503.1 | 812% |
IQLT | iShares Edge MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF | 115.6 | 886.7 | 767% |
SOXS | Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares | 55.2 | 417.9 | 757% |
USHY | iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 354.7 | 2427.0 | 684% |
ESGV | Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF | 103.3 | 659.3 | 638% |
SMMV | iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol U.S.A. Small-Cap ETF | 64.8 | 388.4 | 599% |
UVXY | ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures ETF | 212.0 | 1120.8 | 529% |
SIZE | iShares Edge MSCI U.S.A. Size Factor ETF | 250.5 | 1228.1 | 490% |
UGAZ | VelocityShares 3X Long Natural Gas ETN | 354.5 | 1659.0 | 468% |
LGLV | SPDR SSGA U.S. Large Cap Low Volatility Index ETF | 154.3 | 679.3 | 440% |
LABD | Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bear 3X Shares | 50.1 | 212.6 | 425% |
TVIX | VelocityShares Daily 3x VIX Short-Term ETN | 516.9 | 2060.9 | 399% |
Data measures the year-to-date period through Dec. 31, 2019
iShares & Vanguard Popularizing ESG
At the top of this group is the iShares ESG MSCI U.S.A. ETF (ESGU). It started 2019 with $122.1 million in assets and currently has $1.5 billion, thanks to inflows of $1.2 billion and some price appreciation. Not too shabby.
ESGU’s growth is a reflection of the growing popularity of environmental, social and governance (ESG), or principles-based investing.
The Vanguard ESG International Stock ETF (VSGX) and the Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF (ESGV) are another pair of ESG ETFs to see rapid AUM growth in 2019.
Factors Still Popular
ESG ETFs may be getting tons of buzz and growth, but investors haven’t forgotten about factors. Factor ETFs are still hugely popular and growing like weeds.
The iShares Edge MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF (IQLT), the iShares Edge MSCI Min Vol U.S.A. Small-Cap ETF (SMMV), the iShares Edge MSCI U.S.A. Size Factor ETF (SIZE) and the SPDR SSGA U.S. Large Cap Low Volatility Index ETF (LGLV) each saw their assets balloon in 2019 thanks to robust inflows.
Finally, rounding out the fastest-growing ETFs list is an eclectic selection of funds. The JPMorgan BetaBuilders MSCI U.S. REIT ETF (BBRE), the VelocityShares 3x Inverse Crude Oil ETN (DWT), the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bear 3X Shares (SOXS) and the iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (USHY) each saw their assets increase by hundreds of percent over the course of the year.
Email Sumit Roy at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @sumitroy2