ETF Assets Fell Nine Percent in September

According to the State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) ETF Snapshot report, 1,135 ETFs—with assets totaling $954 billion—were managed by 37 ETF managers as of September 30, 2011.   

ETF flows topped $5 billion in September. The Fixed Income category continued to see positive inflows attracting $5.7 billion in September and $29.2 billion year-to-date. With $4.3 billion leaving the category, the Size – Large Cap category saw the most significant outflows.   

Concerning returns, International – Developed and Emerging Markets declined 9.5% and 14.6%, respectively, in September. Domestic Large Cap, Mid Cap, and Small Cap Markets all continued to decline, dropping 7%, 10.6%, and 10.3%, respectively. Conversely, the US Aggregate, the US Treasury and the US Corporate bond markets were all slightly positive in September. Commodities fell 12.2%.   

The top three managers in the U.S. ETF marketplace, as of September 30, were BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard. Collectively, they account for approximately 83% of the U.S. listed ETF market.   

The top three ETFs in terms of dollar volume traded for the month were the SPDR S&P 500 [SPY], iShares Russell 2000 [IWM], and PowerShares QQQ [QQQ]. The top three ETFs in terms of assets for the month were the SPDR S&P 500 [SPY], SPDR Gold Shares [GLD], and Vanguard Emerging Markets [VWO].