ETFs Bounce Back With $19B Gain On Week

U.S.-listed ETFs bounced back from a nervy week after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine to add more than $18.8 billion in new assets from Feb. 28 to March 4 and cross the $100 billion mark in net new assets for the year. 

The U.S. ETF industry has added just shy of $114 billion in new assets year-to-date, according to ETF.com data provider FactSet, and manages more than $6.8 trillion in assets.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) reversed its weeks-long slump to lead all ETFs with just less than $4.7 billion in inflows for the week. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) and the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) continued its consistent inflow of new dollars despite the year’s volatility, adding $1.1 billion and $707 million, respectively. 

Those three funds represented the lion’s share of the relatively small $6.3 billion in net assets flowing into the U.S. equity asset class on the week. 

The SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) also saw a sharp inflow of just under $1.7 billion on the week as investors seek the safest of the safe haven assets while real bond yields remain negative. 

Broad commodity funds gained on the week as global oil and grain prices surge due to the West’s broad refusal to buy from Russia, and the disruption of the 30% of global wheat exports that Russia and Ukraine account for. The Invesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF (PDBC) and the First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund (FTGC) added just shy of $1 billion combined. 

Finally, a handful of fixed income ETFs landed on the top 10 inflow list for the week. The iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF) led the segment, with $1.5 billion, followed by the iShares iBoxx USD High Yield Corporate Bonds ETF (HYG) with $700.4 million. 

The iShares JPMorgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB) added $592 million to partially offset last week’s sell-off after the U.S. Treasury Department froze Russian sovereign debt in the country. J.P. Morgan has yet to announce whether it will remove Russia from its benchmark emerging market indexes, while several of the largest index providers have already committed to removing Russian asset exposure.

Sector-specific equity ETFs struggled across the board as investor sentiment soured on targeted stock exposures. 

The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) lost $1.8 billion to lead the largest outflow list, while the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) was the second-largest loser, with nearly $989 million in outflows. 

The iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF (IYR) and the Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) lost a combined $889 million, while the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) and the Materials Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLB) lost $428 million and $415 million, respectively. 

The iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) was the only fixed income ETF on the top 10 largest outflows list for the week, with just under $385 million pulled. 
 

For a full list of last week’s top inflows and outflows, see the tables below:

Top 10 Creations (All ETFs)

Top 10 Redemptions (All ETFs)

ETF Weekly Flows By Asset Class

Asset Classes (Year-to-Date)

Top 10 Weekly Performers, Excluding Leverage/Inverse Funds and <1,000 Shares Traded

Top 10 YTD Performers

Disclaimer: All data as of 6 a.m. Eastern time the date the article is published. Data is believed to be accurate; however, transient market data is often subject to subsequent revision and correction by the exchanges.