September breaks ETF records


In a month where both global and Australian equities fell, exchange traded funds (ETF) investors “bought the dip”, with the industry recording its highest monthly net inflows in September, according to BetaShares.
The firm’s September ‘Australian ETF Review’ report found there was inflows of $2.9 billion into the industry, breaking the previous level set in July by $200 million.
But the high level of flows managed to offset the asset value declines, causing the Australian ETF industry to grow only slightly to a new high of $125.3 billion in funds under management.
And the industry grew by around $54 billion over the last 12 months, a growth of 76%.
Monthly trading value remained high, increasing 4% month on month, with over $9 billion of trading activity, matching the trading value seen in the spike of March 2020.
BetaShares took the crown in terms of monthly net inflows by issuer, breaking the all-time monthly record for the industry with $1.14 billion, beating Vanguard by about $100 million.
According to Betashares, the mix of inflows was more mixed than the pattern observes in the year so far, with Australian and international equities receiving about the same amount.
The ETF provider also said September saw a “return to meaningful flows from cash and fixed income” with $382 million coming from the former and $333 million coming from the latter.
“The compositions of the industry’s flows illustrates the extent to which ETFs are able to help investors diversify their portfolios across all major asset classes,” it said.
Recommended for you
Bentham Asset Management has become the latest fund manager to expand its distribution team as it reports increased interest in its credit strategies.
L1 Capital, which is in talks to merge with Platinum Asset Management, has indicated it will be voting against a deal to convert a Platinum LIC into an ETF.
Evidentia Group has hired a head of quantitative investments who joins the investment firm and managed account provider from AMP.
Fidelity International has worked in tandem with Australian wealth manager Emanuel Whybourne & Loehr to launch an actively managed global equities strategy aimed at financial advisers.