U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds took in nearly $23 billion in July, up from $18 billion in June, according to research released Thursday.
Some $12.6 million went into U.S. equity funds, ETF.com reported.
With inflows for the January-to-July period robust, ETFs could match or exceed 2014's record flows of $243 billion, especially given that second-half ETF flows have historically been more powerful than in the first half, the report said.
The three biggest S&P 500 funds enjoyed some of the strongest inflows in July.
SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) from State Street Global Advisors, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) and iShares Core S&P ETF (IVV) from BlackRock attracted an aggregate $4.9 billion in assets.
"Investors really favored the safety of large-cap U.S. equities over riskier small caps and emerging markets," Todd Rosenbluth, director of ETF and mutual fund research at S&P Capital IQ, said in the report.
In fact, funds focused on emerging markets and small caps suffered the biggest outflows in July, ETF.com data showed.
