ETF Inflows & Outflows
Performance Leaders & Laggards
Source: ETF Action; flows and performance data as of 8/13/26; performance data excludes leveraged and inverse products
Weekly ETF Reads
Goldman’s latest deal underscores how ‘boomer candy’ ETFs are now big business on Wall Street by Joseph Adinolfi
“Until recently, the strategies offered by these products were only available to a more select group of wealthier investors. Now, virtually anybody can access them through an ETF.”
Income Over Outcome: How Active Derivative ETFs Are Winning Advisor Portfolios by Todd Rosenbluth
“An August 2026 VettaFi survey revealed 36% of advisors prioritize generating reliable income for clients.”
Vanguard Conquered the ETF World. Where It’s Aiming Next. by Andrew Welsch
“The mantra of legions of Vanguard devotees known as Bogleheads is VTI and chill.”
The VC-backed fintech using AI to challenge BlackRock and start a new fee war in ETFs by Eric Rosenbaum
“Highly regulated businesses are often the ones that are the hardest to disrupt, but AI is knocking down the barriers to entry.”
AI-Dominated Leveraged ETFs Are Rattling Markets by Jin Wu, Denitsa Tsekova, and Denise Lu
“Wall Street history is littered with products that got too popular for their own good.”
Private-Markets ETFs for Ordinary Savers See Big Flows from Institutions by Chris Cumming
“It’s early, but I do believe these have a bright future.”
Inside Money Market ETFs: Regulations, Mechanics, and Product Types by Tony Dong
“Rather than maintaining a fixed share price, the NAV of a money market ETF is designed to float.”
U.S. ETF Investors at Odds: Chasing Returns or Playing the Long Game? by Elisabeth Kashner
“The ETF landscape continues to expand and overwhelm with choices.”
Bitcoin Fund Inflows Hit Four-Month High as Hack Rattles Holders by Sidhartha Shukla
“The Coldcard hack could make spot Bitcoin ETFs a more appealing option for some investors, including even some longtime Bitcoin holders.”
ETF Post of the Week
The buzziest story in ETF land last week was Goldman Sachs announcing that it had entered into an agreement to acquire NEOS Investments, a $30+ billion issuer that has been one of the industry’s biggest success stories in recent memory. Remarkably, NEOS entered the ETF space only four years ago with the launch of three ETFs – including what would become one of its flagship products, the NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF (SPYI). That lineup has since grown to 19 ETFs focused on what they call “the next evolution of options-based income solutions.”
NEOS has ridden the massive wave of investor interest in options-based ETFs, and now has Goldman Sachs knocking at its door with a $2.25 billion offer!
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that yours truly eyed NEOS as a potential acquisition target in my 2026 ETF predictions:
“My first prediction for 2026 is that the industry will see multiple transactions, with larger asset managers scooping up smaller ETF issuers. I’m not entirely sure how to quantify this, so I’ll simply say there will be several transactions significant enough to capture the attention of my industry friends – who can judge the accuracy of this prediction at year-end. As for potential acquisition targets, I have no direct insight. That said, several firms stand out as differentiated, cash-generative businesses that could integrate smoothly into an established distribution platform: NEOS, GraniteShares, Roundhill, and BondBloxx. Regardless, 2026 is shaping up to be an active year for industry M&A.”
Who’s next?
We're excited to announce that @NEOSInvestments is joining Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
— NEOS Investments (@NEOSInvestments) August 12, 2026
Together, we'll combine NEOS’ innovative investment platform with Goldman’s global scale and resources seeking to bring even greater value to our investors, all while preserving the team,… pic.twitter.com/QRfropJBCK
ETF Chart of the Week
I highlighted the record pace of launches two weeks ago, but I loved this further breakdown by exposure from Strategas’ Todd Sohn. Look at the growth of leveraged ETF launches in particular. You can also see the proliferation of options-based income ETFs in response to the massive investor interest, as I highlighted above with the NEOS deal.
As of today, there have been nearly 950 ETFs launched this year. That number was less than 900 when I posted the launch chart two weeks ago.
Giddyup.
Source: Strategas’ Todd Sohn
ETF Prime Podcast
Last week’s ETF Prime featured Tarek Saab, CEO and Co-Founder of Texas Precious Metals, and Steffan Szumowski, Nuclear Research Analyst at VettaFi. Tarek made the case for the Y’all Street Physical Gold ETF (YSAU) and Y’all Street Physical Silver ETF (YSAG), the first and only physically backed ETFs to custody 100% of their gold and silver on U.S. soil. Steffan took stock of the nuclear industry and highlighted key considerations for investors seeking exposure to nuclear and uranium ETFs.
Crypto Prime Podcast
There were two episodes of Crypto Prime last week.
First, I was joined by Zach Pandl, Head of Research at Grayscale, who discussed the pros and cons of the various ways investors can gain exposure to bitcoin following the recent Coldcard hack, including what the incident could mean for the spot bitcoin ETF category. He also explained the investment case for the Grayscale Hyperliquid Staking ETF (HYPG) and shared his broader outlook for crypto.
I then welcomed Duncan Moir, President of 21Shares, to the podcast. Despite a harsh crypto winter, building across the Solana ecosystem has continued. Duncan explained why he believes Solana may be undervalued, the catalysts that could propel the ecosystem forward, and what investors should be watching. He also discussed the 21Shares Solana ETF (TSOL) and several of the firm’s other crypto products.
