The value of assets of exchange traded funds (ETFs) worldwide grew markedly during the period from 2003 to 2022, reaching almost 10 trillion U.S. dollars in 2022. The number of ETFs worldwide grew as well during the period, from 276 in 2003, up to 8,754 in 2022.
What are ETFs?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund traded on a stock exchange, but differs from traditional mutual funds as they can be traded throughout the day, and not just once a day. Most ETFs are following the performance of a stock market index, such as the S&P 500.
Benefits of ETFs
ETFs are an easy way for an investor to diversify their portfolio and are attractive to investors for a number of reasons. The stock-like features that they exhibit make them manageable, whether they are being used for asset allocation long-term investment purposes or a short-term market timed investment strategies. ETFs do not require active management, which has the advantage of making them relatively low cost. They also have typically low marketing costs and accounting expenses.
