ETF Inflows & Outflows
Performance Leaders & Laggards
Source: ETF Action; flows and performance data as of 5/28/26; performance data excludes leveraged and inverse products
Weekly ETF Reads
Mega-IPOs set to force reckoning for mutual funds, ETFs as indexes reshuffle by Leo Almazora
“Investors are increasingly focused on the impact of potential large IPOs in the pipeline.”
(Note: Baird’s Rich Lee joined me on last week’s ETF Prime to discuss the implications of index providers fast-tracking IPOs. You can catch the conversation in the podcast section below.)
ETFs Are Hotter Than Stocks. Not Even SpaceX Will Change That. by Paul R. La Monica
“There are now about 4,000 stocks in the U.S. and nearly 5,000 ETFs.”
New ETFs with Sensible Investment Approaches Are Becoming Harder to Find by Daniel Sotiroff
“More spaghetti is being blasted at the wall, and the ETF market is set to become even more crowded.”
Low-Asset ETFs Are Due for a Reckoning by Elisabeth Kashner
“Eventually, the issuers of these languishing products will make the tough but necessary decision to shutter their unprofitable products.”
Hedge Funds Are Losing Their Edge In A World Of ETFs by Nir Kaissar
“Hedge funds are going the way of mutual funds, prey to increasingly competitive markets and an encroaching lineup of cheap, sophisticated investment products.”
Chipmaker ETF rides AI excitement to quickest $10bn valuation on record by Steve Johnson
“DRAM hit the milestone in less than one-tenth of the time taken by the iShares AI Innovation and Tech Active ETF, known as BAI, which reached $10bn in assets last month, 556 days after its launch — at the time, the quickest rise to that value for any thematic ETF.”
AI’s Grip on Emerging Markets Fuels Rise in Stock-Picking ETFs by Carolina Wilson and Zijia Song
“All 11 emerging-market ETFs launched this year are run by portfolio managers rather than tracking indexes.”
NASA Isn’t the Only Space ETF Catching the SpaceX Wave by Sumit Roy
“What’s clear is that space has arrived as a significant ETF category.”
Crypto ETFs: From Bitcoin to Hyperliquid by Roxanna Islam
“Issuers are still driving forward with crypto launches, with around 30 new products already launched so far in 2026.”
ETF Post of the Week
A chart making the rounds this week showed there are now roughly 1,000 more ETFs than publicly traded U.S. stocks. For some reason, that statistic seems to ruffle a few feathers. If you’re among the concerned, consider this gem from Morningstar’s Ben Johnson, which should help put things in perspective: “If brown rice is factored in, there are more than 115,200 Chipotle menu combinations.”
The structure of the market is experiencing a historic shift:
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) May 28, 2026
The number of US-listed ETFs is up to ~4,900, an all-time high, up +95% since 2020.
Over the same period, the number of US publicly listed companies has declined -1,000, or -20%, to ~3,900, the lowest this century.… pic.twitter.com/131sF5EnVY
ETF Chart of the Week
Sometimes, it’s good to get back to basics. This tidy infograph offers a nice comparison between ETFs and mutual funds. Remember, a little ETF education goes a long way.
Source: Blackwater’s Michael O’Riordan
ETF Prime Podcast
Last week’s ETF Prime featured Rich Lee, Head of Program Trading & Execution Strategy at Baird, and Doug Baker, Portfolio Manager & Head of Preferred Securities at Nuveen. Rich discussed index providers fast-tracking high-profile IPOs like SpaceX, along with the market structure and mechanics behind prediction market ETFs and tokenization. Doug broke down the preferred securities market and spotlighted the Nuveen Preferred and Income ETF (NPFI).
Crypto Prime Podcast
What makes Hyperliquid one of crypto’s hottest projects? Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, joined me on last week’s Crypto Prime to explain the rapid rise of Hyperliquid, the HYPE token, and the firm’s new BHYP ETF.
