30 years ago marked the real start of the ETF industry with the launch of SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), the first U.S.-listed and still-largest ETF.

Little did those involved realise at the time that its launch would spark a revolution in investing, a theme that continues to this day.

Some facts about SPY:

Launched with $6.5m seed. SPY has had $110 trillion of total trading volume since inception making it the most actively-traded equity security on the planet.

SPY has approx. $372 bn in assets. SPY accounted for 21% of all U.S. ETF volume last year.

 

Fund Launches and Updates

 

EMEA

 

ABRDN to finally launch an ETF business. According to regulatory filings, the firm is to launch the Abrdn Metaverse UCITS ETF and the Abrdn Global Real Estate Active Thematic UCITS ETF.

Whilst not the most inspiring of product launches its just another sign that the European ETF market is now in the cross hairs of the traditional Mutual Fund world. etfstream

Invesco launches a Global High Yield Corporate Bond ESG UCITS ETF. The fund is listed on LSE and has a TER of 0.25%. investmentweek

21Shares launches world’s first staked crypto-basket ETP. etfstream

DWS unveils seven-strong thematic SDG ETF range. Three of the ETFs, targeting circular economy, sustainable cities and infrastructure have listed, the remaining four ETFs, which target three single SDGs as well as a diversified global SDG strategy, are planned to list within the next few weeks. All seven ETFs track MSCI indices and have a TER of 0.35%. etfstream

Amundi to launch Europe’s first CAC 40 climate ETF etfstream

 

AMERICAS

 

Putnam Launches 5 New Active ETFs. The firm launched 3 Fixed Income and 2 Equity products on the New York Stock Exchange. The new ETFs nearly double the firm’s suite of actively managed ETF offerings. Nasdaq

Grayscale files latest arguments for court to overturn SEC’s ETP rejection coingeek

Touchstone Investments files for ‘climate transition’ ETF. The Touchstone Climate Transition ETF is actively managed and would be listed on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. investmentnews

Hamilton launches income-enhanced Canadian financials ETF. The  Hamilton Canadian Financials Yield Maximizer ETF (“HMAX”) launches on the TSX with a management fee of 0.65%. businesswire

Full list of U.S. launches:

 

CLICK to listen to stories from inspiring leaders.

This week we speak to Kelsey Mowrey, President at Motleys Fool Asset Management.

Flows

 

State Street ETF assets dropped 14% last year. etf.com

Dimensional is racing up the league table, pulling in nearly $1b in a week. etftrends

Investors Pour Money Into Emerging Market ETFs. Emerging market exchange-traded funds are bringing in more assets than any other ETF type, a reversal after last year’s decline and following more than a decade of bumping along the bottom. Yahoo

The gold market has rallied for five-straight weeks as prices are up more than 5% in the first month of 2023. kitco

Blockchain ETFs start 2023 in electric form amid risk-on pivot. etfstream

 

Noteworthy

 

Vanguard Zeros in on BlackRock’s ETF Crown. The world’s largest ETF manager may soon lose its crown.

iShares currently has $2.18 trillion in U.S.-listed assets under management while Vanguard had $1.87 trillion, according to ETF.com’s year-end League Table. The $317 billion that separates iShares and Vanguard is close to the narrowest on record. etfcom

Bitcoin flirts with longest winning streak in nearly a decade. Bloomberg

 

Additional reads

 

Osprey Funds CEO proposes takeover of Grayscale’s GBTC.

Greg King feels he can do a better job of managing GBTC than the current incumbents. etfexpress

 

Thought of the Day

 

Last Monday was officially “Blue Monday”, supposedly the most depressing day of the year as it is often when most are struggling financially, the weather is far from optimal, and failed new year resolutions are commonplace.

I’m sure within the ETF bubble non one ever feels blue. The industry is going full gas, The Exchange in Miami (the Oscars of the ETF world) is just around the corner and the sun is shining here in Spain.

What’s there to feel blue about?