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.
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.
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.
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.
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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