ETF Inflows & Outflows
Performance Leaders & Laggards
Source: ETF Action; flows and performance data as of 4/30/26; performance data excludes leveraged and inverse products
Weekly ETF Reads
Meme-Stock Casualty Plotkin Joins Rich Shifting Assets Into ETFs by Denitsa Tsekova and Isabelle Lee
“The exchange-traded fund, a filing for which was first made in December, is set to be created via what’s known as a 351 conversion.”
Bond ETFs take on expanded role as BlackRock report highlights shift in portfolio construction by Steve Randall
“Fixed income is evolving beyond its traditional role as a diversifier.”
New ‘Autocallable’ ETFs Offer Yields Up to 14%. Yes, There’s a Catch. by Amey Stone
“Most of these ETFs—a subcategory of derivative income ETFs —offer double-digit yields, as well some downside protection and potential tax advantages.”
Cannabis ETFs: Regulatory Momentum Returns Focus by Roxanna Islam
“ETF opportunities have grown narrower with more closures than existing ETFs.”
The Ultimate Portfolio Hedge? Why Wall Street Is Racing to Launch Election Prediction Funds by Todd Shriber
“The first SEC-regulated “Election ETFs” are set to go live on May 5, turning political outcomes into a tradable asset.”
US SEC seeks comment on NYSE Arca proposal for 85% eligible-asset rule in crypto ETF listings by Naga Avan-Nomayo
“The remaining 15% could be held in other assets that do not independently qualify.”
ETF Posts of the Week
ETF fee revenue offers yet another lens on the industry’s continued growth. Unsurprisingly, the rise of active ETFs, which typically carry higher expense ratios, is helping drive that expansion. Although active ETFs account for just 11% of assets, they now generate 28% of total industry revenue. And with 37% of first-quarter inflows going into active strategies, expect this trend to continue.
ETF Chart of the Week
Speaking of active ETFs, BlackRock recently highlighted the growing momentum in fixed income strategies in a paper titled “A durable foundation: How bond ETFs are powering a portfolio evolution and fixed income revolution.” The full report is well worth a read, but the key takeaway is clear: investors are increasingly turning to active management to navigate a more complex interest rate and inflation backdrop.
“Active fixed income ETFs grew $215B in 2025, capturing 32% of global fixed income ETF flows, signaling that investors likely want portfolio-manager discretion delivered in an ETF wrapper. Flexible active bond managers can help to rebalance the income/risk equation. In the Morningstar US Fund Multisector Bond category, the average effective duration was ~4.1 years with a ~5.0% 30 day SEC yield, versus the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index with 5.8 years of effective duration and ~4.1% 30 day SEC yield, illustrating how dynamic tilts can potentially support investors to enhance portfolio yield while reducing rate sensitivity.
Source: BlackRock
ETF Prime Podcast
Last week’s ETF Prime featured Lance Humphrey, Head of Portfolio Management with the VictoryShares and Solutions Team at Victory Capital, along with Dom Rizzo, Portfolio Manager at T. Rowe Price. Lance spotlighted the firm’s lineup of free cash flow–focused ETFs, led by the VictoryShares Free Cash Flow ETF (VFLO). Dom offered a behind-the-scenes look at managing the T. Rowe Price Technology ETF (TTEQ).
Crypto Prime Podcast
Kristin Smith, President of the Solana Policy Institute, joined me on last week’s Crypto Prime to break down the latest developments around the Clarity Act and its potential impact on Solana and the broader DeFi ecosystem, while highlighting the growing momentum in crypto education among regulators, policymakers, and traditional finance institutions.
