Hot Launches

With just $23.9 billion in net inflows this year, exchange-traded products (ETPs) are having their slowest start since the first five months of 2010 when only $18.7 billion in net inflows were made. But the industry continues to launch new products anyway and through this week (May 18) another 88 products have been unveiled. We took a look to see which ones have had the best luck attracting cash.

Through May 18 the fastest-growing ETP is SPDR SSGA Gender Diversity Index (SHE), which tracks a market-cap weighted index of large U.S. companies that that exhibit gender diversity in their senior leadership positions; it’s attracted $264 million this year. Not too far behind in the asset race, WisdomTree Dynamic Currency Hedged Intl Equity (DDWM) has brought in $238 million. This fund holds a basket of dividend-weighted stocks headquartered outside of the U.S. and Canada and dynamically hedges foreign currency exposure for U.S. dollar investors.

While three others have managed to accumulate $50 million in assets so far, the rest of this year’s launches are still waiting for investors to find them: the remaining 81 launches this year collectively hold $700 million or just as much as these five.