ETFs and exchange-traded products (ETPs) gathered global net inflows of US$3.43 billion in August, bringing year-to-date net inflows to about US$273 billion (all figures are in U.S. dollars), according to a report from London, England–based consultancy ETFGI.

Fixed income ETFs/ETPs attracted net inflows of about $16 billion in the month, bringing the category’s net inflows for 2019 to about $148 billion, the report said. That compares to almost $67 billion in net inflows by the end of August last year for fixed income products.

In contrast, equity ETFs/ETPs suffered net outflows of $25.5 billion in August, bringing equity net inflows for 2019 to about $89 billion. That compares to about $206 billion in net inflows one year ago for equity products.

The top three ETFs as measured by net new assets in August were iShares Core S&P 500 ETF ($2.52 billion), iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility ETF ($2.18 billion) and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ($2.0 billion).

For ETPs by net new assets in August, SPDR Gold Shares held the top spot at $2.66 billion.

At the end of August, the global industry comprised almost 8,000 ETFs/ETPs from 423 providers listed on 72 exchanges in 58 countries, the report said.

Worldwide assets in ETFs/ETPs

Worldwide, assets invested in ETFs and ETPs reached US$5.65 trillion at the end of August. The figure represents a 1.6% month-over-month decrease as market volatility increased.

“The S&P 500 slid 1.6% in August, which can be partially attributed to both the growing tensions stemming from the U.S./China trade talks, or lack thereof, and the sentiment placed on the inverted U.S. yield curve,” said Deborah Furh, managing partner, founder and owner of ETFGI, in a release.

Internationally, the S&P Developed Ex-U.S. BMI declined 2.5% in the month, with the biggest decline coming out of Hong Hong (−8%), driven by protests. The S&P Emerging BMI fell 4.5%.

Over the last 10 years, assets in ETFs/ETPs have grown at a compound annual rate of about 20%, according to ETFGI data. Year-to-date in 2019, the compound annual growth rate for these products is about 17%.