U.S.- listed ETFs concluded April with $14.7 trillion in total assets under management. This represents a notable 10.5% increase above the $13.3 trillion posted at the end of March. Monthly fund flows accelerated in April with inflows of $171.4 billion. In just four months U.S. ETFs have taken in $643.9 billion.
In terms of the total April fund flows, equities gathered 77.5% of net new assets at $133 billion. Fixed income ETFs attracted 18% of the monthly inflows at $31.3 billion. Net inflows to other asset classes such as alternatives, asset allocation, and currency were reduced by commodity ETF outflows of $845.5 million. The number of new ETFs picked up in April with 93 ETFs launched.
U.S. listed ETF assets under management (in trillions) as of April 30, 2026:
Looking at April ETF flows by asset class:
Equity ETFs inflows posted a strong month with 77% of net new assets flowing into the space.
Alternatives increased notably in April, attracting $4.6 billion of net new assets.
Fixed income ETFs inflows declined significantly in April to just $31.3 billion, the lowest level of inflows since last July.
Currency and asset allocation ETFs held steady, both with inflows of $2.6 billion and $907 million, respectively.
Commodity ETFs continued with outflows in April of $845 million, the bulk from crude oil and precious metals.
In terms of sector flows, April was risk-on with Technology, Financials, Materials, and Communication Services with positive inflows. Money was pulled from all other sectors, especially the Consumer Staples, Energy, and Utilities sectors.
April posted 93 U.S. ETF launches.
74 of the new ETFs, or roughly 80%, are actively managed.
A majority of the 42 new equity ETFs are size and style focused.
21 new alternative ETFs were introduced, including a few structured notes fashioned into the ETF wrapper products.
Nicholas Wealth launched a first-of-its-kind ETF with the Nicholas Bitcoin and Treasuries AfterDark ETF (NGHT). The ETF switches daily between bitcoin and U.S. Treasuries based on equity trading hours, aiming to capture bitcoin’s overnight risk/return profile.
Based on the 89 ETFs that have delisted so far in 2026, the average lifespan of those ETFs has been just over two years. The shortest lifespan was just 51 days. Most of the closures with the least amount of trading days were leveraged or inverse single stock ETFs. This suggests issuers may not have much patience if a new ETF does not attract assets.
Below is a review of delisted ETFs year-to-date with shortest and longest lives.
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