ETFs
ETFs so far in 2024
(Bloomberg) — The hype around artificial intelligence, the highly anticipated launch of Bitcoin funds and the billions of dollars invested in the seemingly inevitable rise in stock markets: ETFs have seen it all and have been the main beneficiaries until now. ‘now this year.
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On the one hand, exchange-traded funds have raked in more than $400 billion, the highest amount in nearly three years. Investors have gone wild for Bitcoin ETFs, which have attracted more than $14 billion since their debut in January. And a fund based on Nvidia Corp. saw its assets grow by more than 2,000%.
The following is a look at some of the key trends in the ETF space in the first half of 2024:
Equity Torrent
The ETF universe has attracted more than $417 billion since the end of 2023, the largest number since the second quarter of 2021, according to Bloomberg Intelligence data. Equity ETFs alone are on track to see inflows of $262 billion over the six-month period, just shy of the total amount taken in during the second half of 2023.
During that period, the low-cost Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (ticker VOO) has pulled in about $42 billion, on track for its best year of flows. The tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (QQQ) has seen $14 billion in flows, the most so far in 2021, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
“It’s a combination of a) robust stock performance and b) the onslaught of new issuers adding power to the total,” said Todd Sohn, ETF strategist at Strategas.
Bitcoin ETF Dam
Perhaps the most surprising event of 2024 was the set of new ETFs directly holding Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency. More than 10 such funds launched earlier this year with historic turnover and new all-time highs for the digital token itself.
Excluding the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) – the only one of the lot to see outflows – the remaining funds have raised a total of around $33 billion since their inception. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has been the largest beneficiary, with around $18 billion this year. Investors, meanwhile, withdrew a similar amount of GBTC, which has the highest fees of the lot.
“The launch of spot-Bitcoin ETFs was one of the most talked about launches in the ETF world, which simultaneously reignited interest in the overall crypto market and set a precedent for the future of crypto ETFs” , said Roxanna Islam, sector manager. and industrial research at VettaFi.
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Actively managed funds are a popular segment of the overall ETF market, with approximately $124 billion invested in these products in the first half of the year. This represents 30% of the overall volume of the ETF universe. Funds based on derivatives, for their part, raked in $14.5 billion.
Issuers are trying to capitalize on the popularity of covered calls and other performance-oriented funds by launching a series of new products. Among the high-yield ETFs tracked by Bloomberg Intelligence, a quarter of them came to market in the past two years.
Nvidia Frenzy
The unrelenting craze for Nvidia has driven a record $2.7 billion inflow into a fund that offers investors a daily return twice that of the tech giant and flagship AI company. The GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NVDL) started the year with approximately $210 million in assets, a figure that has ballooned to over $5 billion currently.
While NVDL has returned 370% so far this year – making it one of the best-performing funds of 2024 – it is disproportionately affected when its underlying stock falls, as it did in a recent meltdown.
At least 35 ETFs with assets of more than $500 million each have Nvidia representing 10% or more of their portfolios, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. In total, those funds have brought in more than $45 billion so far this year.
“It’s one of the stocks you don’t want to miss, so even if you don’t buy individual stocks, you’re going to allocate to the ETFs with the biggest exposure,” said Athanasios Psarofagis, ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence.
–With help from Isabelle Lee and Emily Graffeo.
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