ETF Inflows & Outflows
Performance Leaders & Laggards
Source: ETF Action; flows and performance data as of 3/5/26; performance data excludes leveraged and inverse products
Weekly ETF Reads
SEC Is Pushing Back Against New Wave of High-Leverage ETF Plans by Isabelle Lee and Vildana Hajric
“Regulators, for now, remain unconvinced.”
The ETF Paradox: Navigating a Sea of 5,000 Choices by Kirsten Chang
“The ETF landscape is more confusing than ever, with four new funds being introduced every day.”
This Little-Known Fund Is the Best-Performing ETF of 2026 by Sumit Roy
“The Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF (BWET) has surged about 243% year to date, fueled by a spike in tanker freight rates following the outbreak of war between the United States, Israel and Iran in the Middle East.”
ETFs on track for $35 trillion as advisors eye active, digital asset boom by Steve Randall
“Nearly 80% of survey respondents believe tokenization will significantly or moderately expand global reach and enable 24/7 accessibility in the ETF market over the next two to three years.”
Why ETFs Are Reshaping Investment Management by Kelli Korducki
“I believe it is inevitable that aggregate ETF assets under management will surpass mutual fund AUM soon, unless the IRS changes the tax laws on ETFs to remove the significant tax advantage that the funds have over mutual funds.”
Surging SpaceX Stake Raises Doubts Over Private Assets in ETFs by Katie Greifeld and Isabelle Lee
“Around 37% of the ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF is now invested in Elon Musk’s rocket ship maker.”
This Fund Bought SpaceX. Why Did It Take a Dive? by Jason Zweig
“People can sell an ETF whenever they want. The fund is liquid, even though its SpaceX stake isn’t.”
First spot Polkadot ETF launches in US issued by 21Shares by RT Watson
“Polkadot is a next-generation blockchain platform designed to connect many independent blockchains into a single, interoperable network.”
‘Serious investor base’ helps Solana ETFs defy Bitcoin amid slouching price by Pedro Solimano
“Solana exchange-traded funds have defied brutal market conditions to accumulate nearly $1.5 billion in flows.”
Upcoming ETF Webinar
On behalf of the The ETF Institute and NYSE, I’ll be moderating a webinar this upcoming Tuesday, March 10th, exploring the macro forces driving gold, silver, and oil prices – and how those dynamics are influencing commodity ETF pricing and flows.
I’ll be joined by an outstanding panel that includes: Joseph Cavatoni, Head of Public Policy at World Gold Council; John Love, President and CEO of USCF Investments; and Christian Magoon, Founder and CEO of Amplify ETFs.
You can register for free here!
ETF Post of the Week
State Street’s Matt Bartolini notes that international equity ETFs took in their second-largest monthly haul ever in February. Rolling three-month inflows into the category now sit at record levels. Bartolini:
“This renewed interest in non-US equity exposures comes after sizeable concentration in US equities over the last few years, and as market forces (e.g., trade policy counter measures, fiscal stimulus, softer inflation, attractive starting valuations, weaker dollar, etc.) have helped propel non-US equity market returns above that of the US. So far in 2026, 85% of all non-US countries in the MSCI ACWI Index are outperforming the US—and by an average 10%. That’s still after 76% outperformed in 2025 by an average of 19%.”
That investor interest has carried over into March. Despite performance taking a step back over the past week, investors still plunked nearly another $6 billion into the category.
ETF Chart of the Week
PwC recently released its latest Global ETF Survey, ETFs 2030: Capitalising on Disruptive Innovation. The full report is well worth a read, but one question in particular stood out: What will drive ETF growth over the next several years? PwC:
“Well over 80% of the respondents in our survey believe that investor preference for ETFs over other investment products will have a significant impact on the growth of the ETF industry over the next two to three years. More than half of survey respondents point to conversion from other products including MFs and separate accounts into ETFs as a key driver for growth. Over a third anticipate a significant impact from the growth of ETF share classes added to existing investment funds, where permitted by regulators. Growth in ETF AuM continues to motor ahead, but growth alone can no longer guarantee profitability, underlining the need for innovation, diversification, and differentiation.”
Separately, Brown Brothers Harriman also released its latest Global ETF Investor Survey, Uncharted Opportunity, which is likewise worth a look.
Source: PwC
ETF Prime Podcast
Last week’s ETF Prime featured Kirsten Chang, Senior Industry Analyst at VettaFi, and Chris Marangi, Co-Chief Investment Officer of Value at Gabelli Funds. Kirsten unpacked controversial filings for prediction market ETFs and examined the increasingly blurred line between gambling and investing. Chris highlighted the recently launched Gabelli Opportunities in Live and Sports ETF (GOLS) and explored the broader investment opportunities across live media, entertainment, and sports.
Crypto Prime Podcast
Alex Morris, CEO of F/m Investments, joined me on last week’s Crypto Prime to explain why the firm is moving to offer tokenized shares of the F/m US Treasury 3 Month Bill ETF (TBIL) and what this step could signal for the evolution of securities markets.
