Exchange Traded Funds and Exchange Traded Products listed globally gathered a record high of US$4.103 trillion in assets as of the end of May, according to preliminary data from a new ETFGI report.

The report also says that the global industry had 6,889 ETFs/ETPs, with 12,970 listings, from 313 providers listed on 68 exchanges in 55 countries at the end of May.

Mixed performance for US equities

“The performance of US equities was mixed in May. The S&P 500 gained 1.41 per cent while smaller cap equities declined 2.31 per cent,” said Deborah Fuhr, managing partner at ETFGI, which is a London-based research and consultancy firm. “S&P 500 Growth was up 2.83 per cent while the S&P 500 Value index declined 0.32 per cent. In the US, Information Technology and Utilities were May's top performing sectors, both up 4 per cent. Energy was the worst performer, down by 3 per cent. ”

International equity markets performed well in May, added Fuhr, with the S&P Developed Ex-U.S. BMI and the S&P Emerging BMI up 4 per cent and 2 per cent, respectively.

Trump administration

“Political risks remain a focus for investors – the ability of the Trump administration to move forward on policy goals and hearings on Capitol Hill, the U.K. election, North Korea is still an area of concern and the potential Italian election later this year is raising concerns similar to those raised before the French election,” she said.