Global ETF assets hit record $13.4 trillion in Q3

Morningstar’s latest data shows that year-to-date global exchange traded fund (ETF) flows stood at $947 billion as of September 30, 2024.

With a full quarter remaining, ETFs are on track to eclipse $1 trillion in flows, assuming no market disruptions.

Flows in the third quarter were $392 billion, setting a record in surpassing the third-quarter 2021 mark of $333 billion.

ETF assets reached a record $13.4 trillion at the end of the third quarter.

Equity (60%) and fixed income (33%) ETFs dominated the share of flows in the third quarter, with alternatives a distant third at 3%, or $34 billion.

For the year to date, equity and fixed income have captured 96% of flows, or $894 billion.

The United States dominated global ETF assets and flows on an absolute basis, but ex US ETFs grew 9.0% organically for the year to date.

Fixed-income funds had record quarterly flows of $127 billion, surpassing the previous record of $112 billion in the second quarter of 2020 at the height of the covid market crash.

Actively managed strategies captured 24% of exchange-traded fund flows in 2024 through September and grew organically at 33%, while passive ETFs grew at a 7% organic rate.

Actively managed ETF assets grew to a record $973 billion after starting the year with $683 billion.

Actively managed fixed-income ETFs grew organically at 12.8% in the third quarter and 37% for the year to date. Flows achieved a record $35 billion in the third quarter, surpassing the second quarter’s record of $28 billion.