The ETF industry at large is not so bad off, despite the constant stream of bad press that the markets are receiving. While the industry has taken hits along with the broader market, the progress remains solid and proves that ETFs are an investing staple.
According to the State Street ETF Snapshot, as of Jan. 31, 752 ETFs in the US — with assets totaling approximately $496Bn — were managed by 22 ETF managers. The ETF industry assets were down 7%, or $37.6 billion. Meanwhile, nine ETFs were launched in the month, and four closed up shop.
Comparatively, the S&P 500 (SPY) fell 8.4% in January; MSCI EAFE (EFA) fell 9.8% for the month in USD terms. The Barclays Capital U.S. Treasury Index lost 2.9% while the Lehman U.S. Aggregate Index fell 0.9%. Gold climbed to $919.50 an ounce, an increase of 5.7% from December’s close.
