Weekly ETF Inflows At $11B On Market Volatility

[Editor’s Note: ETF.com’s weekly flows report is moving from Fridays to Mondays.]

ETFs that cover the large caps that drove the major stock indexes to new heights last year suffered some of their steepest outflows last week amid the Federal Reserve’s growing hawkishness.

U.S.-listed ETFs added $11.2 billion in net assets between Jan. 10 and Jan. 14, according to ETF.com data provider FactSet. That brings the industry’s net haul this year to $29.2 billion and its overall assets under management to more than $7.1 trillion.

International Funds Lead

The Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) took the top spot for inflows in the week, with inflows of $1.5 billion, among other international equity funds that appeared in the top 10 list. The KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF (KWEB) took in $793.1 million, while the Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) added inflows just shy of $687 million.

International equity funds gained approximately $8.1 billion on the week in net flows compared to $1.5 billion in U.S. equity ETFs.

Investors also piled into some bond funds as the expectation of Fed hikes and demand for safety amid turbulence in equities drove up Treasury yields. The iShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF (SHY) added $937.8 million as the 10-year yield reached levels not seen since March 2021. As of 11 a.m. Eastern Time Tuesday, the yield was at 1.85% and approaching heights not seen since December 2019.

The SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) gained $560.9 million in the week as a benchmark high yield index from Bank of America spiked higher in the first half of the month. The Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND) gained $560.3e million in the period.

Rounding out the top three was the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF), with $900 million in new assets, as investors are hoping to ride the usual boost in value for the sector when interest rates rise.

Big Broad Funds Struggle

Some of the biggest ETFs on the market saw sell-offs last week as risks mounted.

In fixed income, the iShares iBoxx USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD) was by far the largest loser, with $1.9 billion in net losses, or 5.3% of its assets under management. While JNK gained in the week, the iShares iBoxx USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) lost $1.5 billion. The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) decreased by $815.4 million.

Some of the  biggest equity funds on the market also saw losses. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) lost just under $1.6 billion in the week, followed by the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), with $1.6 billion in outflows. The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) lost $1.2 billion.

Funds with a focus on growth also appeared amid the biggest losers in the week. The iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) lost $770.8 million, while the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) decreased by $756.8 million.

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.