Gold/Treasury ETFs Up YTD Inflows To $312B
Year-to-date inflows reached another record high as investors added $8.9 billion to U.S.-listed ETFs in the latest week.
A rally in government bonds encouraged investors to plow billions of dollars into ETFs this week. According to the latest data from FactSet, inflows into U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds totaled $8.9 billion in the week ending Thursday, Sept. 7.
Year-to-date inflows now stand at a record $312 billion.
The majority of this week's inflows―$2.6 billion―went into U.S. fixed-income ETFs. During the period, bonds surged, with the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield dropping as low as 2.01%, down from 2.17% last week (bond prices and yields move inversely).
At the same time, just slightly less money―$2.5 billion―headed for U.S. equity ETFs. The S&P 500 moved slightly lower week-over-week, as investors fretted about North Korea, Hurricane Irma and the political wrangling in Washington.
Also taking in new money were international equity ETFs, with inflows of $1.7 billion; international fixed-income ETFs, with inflows of $414 million; and commodity ETFs, with inflows of $821 million.
'TLT' & 'GLD' Big Winners
The biggest ETF beneficiary of this week's inflows into fixed income was the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT), which had creations of $919 million.
Other fixed-income products to see interest were the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) and the iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEI), with inflows of $448 million and $262 million, respectively.
Another notable fund on the top 10 list was the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD). It had inflows of $873 million during the week as gold prices reached their highest levels in a year above $1,360/oz.
Meanwhile, on the outflows side, notable losers included the iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX), the iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF (HEFA) and the Deutsche X-trackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DBJP).
For a full list of this week's top inflows and outflows, see the tables below:
Top 10 Creations (All ETFs)
| Ticker | Name | Net Flows ($,mm) | AUM ($, mm) | AUM % Change |
| IWM | iShares Russell 2000 ETF | 1,088.09 | 37,079.61 | 3.02% |
| TLT | iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 918.99 | 7,640.44 | 13.67% |
| XLP | Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund | 892.36 | 8,709.11 | 11.42% |
| IVV | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | 880.75 | 124,594.16 | 0.71% |
| GLD | SPDR Gold Trust | 872.89 | 35,932.47 | 2.49% |
| VWO | Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF | 566.44 | 62,484.67 | 0.91% |
| HYG | iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 448.35 | 18,480.42 | 2.49% |
| VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | 368.39 | 81,672.70 | 0.45% |
| XLE | Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund | 271.52 | 15,090.75 | 1.83% |
| IEI | iShares 3-7 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 261.60 | 7,498.48 | 3.61% |
Top 10 Redemptions (All ETFs)
| Ticker | Name | Net Flows ($,mm) | AUM ($, mm) | AUM % Change |
| SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | -1,373.65 | 242,329.79 | -0.56% |
| XLI | Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund | -719.71 | 11,128.80 | -6.07% |
| LQD | iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | -328.40 | 38,301.37 | -0.85% |
| XLF | Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund | -269.45 | 24,384.65 | -1.09% |
| SCHD | Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF | -212.37 | 5,804.53 | -3.53% |
| VXX | iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures ETN | -188.24 | 1,264.39 | -12.96% |
| VXF | Vanguard Extended Market ETF | -165.80 | 5,048.61 | -3.18% |
| XLY | Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund | -143.62 | 11,613.43 | -1.22% |
| HEFA | iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF | -137.79 | 4,113.06 | -3.24% |
| DBJP | Deutsche X-trackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF | -126.32 | 1,731.57 | -6.80% |
ETF Weekly Flows By Asset Class
| Net Flows ($, mm) | AUM ($, mm) | % of AUM | |
| U.S. Equity | 2,528.87 | 1,695,117.66 | 0.15% |
| International Equity | 1,685.51 | 716,729.89 | 0.24% |
| U.S. Fixed Income | 2,618.90 | 500,223.73 | 0.52% |
| International Fixed Income | 414.39 | 54,546.46 | 0.76% |
| Commodities | 821.20 | 66,899.92 | 0.00% |
| Currency | -5.40 | 1,458.91 | -0.37% |
| Leveraged | -221.40 | 29,341.82 | -0.75% |
| Inverse | 390.25 | 18,296.82 | 2.13% |
| Asset Allocation | 45.63 | 7,399.56 | 0.62% |
| Alternatives | -178.49 | 4,244.71 | -4.20% |
| Total: | 8,920.68 | 3,094,208.18 | 0.26% |
Top 10 Volume Surprises, Funds >$50 mm AUM
| Ticker | Name | Average Volume (30 Day) | 1 Week Average Volume | % of Average |
| IBCC | iShares iBonds Mar 2018 Term Corporate ex-Financials ETF | 27,776 | 214,445 | 772.05% |
| HFXI | IQ 50 Percent Hedged FTSE International ETF | 203,163 | 1,401,749 | 689.96% |
| IDEV | iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF | 20,778 | 114,276 | 549.98% |
| PUI | PowerShares DWA Utilities Momentum Portfolio | 11,021 | 44,332 | 402.24% |
| FTGC | First Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund | 49,079 | 192,153 | 391.52% |
| IEUR | iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF | 510,585 | 1,772,320 | 347.12% |
| FIEU | Credit Suisse FI Enhanced Europe 50 ETN | 1,666 | 6,227 | 373.73% |
| SCHO | Schwab Short-Term US Treasury ETF | 309,265 | 1,116,303 | 360.95% |
| DBJP | Deutsche X-trackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF | 790,164 | 4,334,694 | 548.58% |
| USLB | PowerShares Russell 1000 Low Beta Equal Weight Portfolio | 8,569 | 23,439 | 273.53% |
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.
