Global X Hits $500 Million AUM; BlackRock Ranks It Fastest-Growing ETF Firm

Also Tuesday, Strategic Insight (SI), a business information provider to the fund industry, reported that international emerging markets equity ETFs were the leaders in net inflows in August. They were followed, at a distance, by corporate high-yield bond ETFs, gold ETFs, and income and growth ETFs, echoing the split in the traditional mutual fund market between either safe-haven investments at one end of the spectrum and higher-risk investments at the other end, according to SI.

SI also estimated that investors withdrew a net $778 million from U.S. ETFs in August, the first month to see aggregate ETF net outflows since January 2010. US ETF assets ended July at $812 billion.

"The increasing varieties of ETFs are providing investment instruments to meet a wide range of investor needs. That sort of innovation and flexibility should help drive further growth in the ETF market," said Loren Fox, a senior research analyst at Strategic Insight, in a statement.

In other Global X Funds news, Global X Funds Lithium ETF (NYSE Arca: LIT) traded more than 450,000 shares on its opening day, July 23, making it one of the most successful ETF launches this year.

Read Vaughan Scully's column published September 1, from the archives of InvestmentAdvisor.com.