Gold/Treasury ETFs Up YTD Inflows To $312B

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)

Top 10 Redemptions (All ETFs)

ETF Weekly Flows By Asset Class

Top 10 Volume Surprises, Funds >$50 mm AUM

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.