ETFs surpass $1.5 trillion in record flows with 3.5 months remaining in 2026

US-listed exchange-traded funds have pulled in more than $1.5 trillion in net inflows this year, blowing past the previous annual record set in 2025 with roughly three and a half months still left on the calendar. The pace works out to about $8.5 billion flowing into ETFs every single trading day. The numbers behind the stampede According to Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, US ETF inflows stood at approximately $1.43 trillion as of September 17. That figure was already on track to eclipse the 2025 record before the month closed out, and it has since crossed the threshold. ETFs surpassed $1 trillion in cumulative flows by mid-June, meaning the second half of the year has only accelerated the trend. Some projections now peg the end-of-year total near or above $2 trillion, with one estimate reaching as high as $2.3 trillion. Globally, ETF assets hit a record $24.03 trillion at the end of August, with $1.96 trillion in year-to-date inflows worldwide. Fixed-income ETFs have been a particularly bright spot, recording flows exceeding $440 billion in 2026. Products like the iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV), the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND), and the iShares Co...