Net Inflows are one of the monthly metrics we get from the exchanges (ASX and Chi-X). Typically we see the most money going into equity related ETFs. This makes sense when you consider that as of June 2021, there were 166 equity ETFs and 72 non-equity ones.
How those flows moved month to month was mostly the familiars at the top of the pile with Global Equity ETFs taking out the top spot each of the 6 months. Aussie equities ETFs were 2nd up until May and June when flows dropped off. For this first half of 2021, Global Equity ETF inflows totalled $5.2 billion whilst Aussie/Domestic equity ETFs saw $1.6 billion of inflows.
If we take out those 2 categories to see the other groups in more detail, Domestic Fixed Income ETFs have the most flows this year at $769 million, Mixed Asset at $716 million and Global Fixed Income after that at $674 million of inflows.
Inflows can also lead to outflows and we saw overall outflows in 2021 for Cash and Currency ETFs had net outflows in 2021 totalling $167 million followed by Global Property and Commodities.
ETF inflows can be a sign of popularity so can be helpful when you're choosing where to park your money. But, there are areas to plan for growth or get defensive in your portfolio across other categories so make sure you dive into the data to learn more.
Happy investing!