The $100 Billion Sprint: Decoding the Early 2026 ETF Inflows

Core Insights - The ETF industry continues to thrive, with $1.5 trillion in 2025 and $103 billion in new money gathered by January 21, 2026 [1] Actively Managed ETFs - Actively managed ETFs, despite being over 10% of ETF assets, captured nearly one-third of all ETF inflows in 2025 and 37% of new money in 2026 [2] - Active fixed income ETFs were particularly popular, with the PIMCO Multisector Bond Active ETF (PYLD) leading with $1.0 billion in new money [3] Thematic ETFs - Thematic ETFs saw a resurgence with $23 billion in inflows after three years of outflows, primarily driven by robotics and AI [4] - The Global X Defense Tech ETF (SHLD) attracted $685 million in early 2026, reflecting ongoing geopolitical tensions [4] - The REX Drones ETF (DRNZ) launched in late 2025, quickly reaching $55 million in assets and gaining 28% [5] Diversification Trends - The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) emerged as a leader in 2026, gathering $4.5 billion and outperforming mega-cap ETFs [7] - RSP had significant net outflows in 2025 but benefited from a shift towards moderately sized large-caps in 2026 [8] Sector Performance - The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) regained favor in 2026, gathering $3.2 billion, driven by strong quarterly results from major US banks [9]