U.S. ETF Monthly Summary: March 2026

Amidst a challenging equity market environment in March, U.S.- listed ETFs concluded the month with $13.3 trillion in total assets under management. This represents a notable 7% decline from $14.3 trillion at the end of February, reflecting the broader market sell-off. Monthly fund flows were muted compared to February, with inflows of just $117.4 billion. However, U.S. ETFs have taken in $488 billion during the first quarter of 2026, setting a potential pace for annual fund flows close to $2 trillion.

Equities gathered 60% of net new assets in terms of the total March fund flow, $70.1 billion. Fixed income ETFs attracted 43% of the monthly inflows, $50.8 billion. Others were reduced by commodity ETF outflows of $10.7 billion. March saw 82 new ETFs launch.

Fund Flows by Asset Class

U.S. listed ETF assets under management (in trillions) as of March 31, 2026

Looking at March ETF flows by asset class:

• Equity ETF inflows declined 39% vs. February, to $70.1 billion.

• Fixed income ETF inflows declined 28% vs. February, to $50.8 billion.

• Currency ETFs reversed course in March, netting positive inflows of $2.2 billion.

• Asset allocation and alternative ETFs both held steady interest with inflows to both categories at $1.4 billion and $3.6 billion, respectively.

• Commodity ETFs experienced significant outflows of $10.7 billion in March, most occurring in the precious metals space.

Fund Flows by Sector

In terms of sector flows, energy and financials continue their roller-coaster ride in February. Industrials, materials, and consumer staples are providing some ballast for portfolios.

ETF Launches

March saw 82 U.S. ETF launches.

• Management style was split 50/50, as half are actively managed and half passively managed.

• Both BlackRock and Vanguard each launched a series of bullet maturity corporate bond ETFs.

• Invesco launched an equal weight Nasdaq-100 index ETF (QEW), competing with Direxion’s (QQQE), which has been available since 2012.

• Currency ETFs expanded their reach with Grayscale offering exposure to Avalanche staking and 21Shares offering a product relating to Polkadot.

By the Way

During the first quarter of 2026, investment themes attracted $10.8 billion in fund flows, accounting for 3.7% of total equity flows in the period. The most popular themes among investors were infrastructure, robotics and AI, and nuclear energy. In each of these three categories, a Global X ETF has ranked among the top funds in terms of inflows.

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