The SEC approved the first dual share classes of ETFs and mutual funds this week, meaning advisors won’t have to choose between the two wrappers, effectively letting them order the surf and turf. Dimensional Fund Advisors on Tuesday received the long-awaited exemption, which could become one of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s most significant decisions since the ETF Rule in 2019. Almost 80 other companies, including major asset managers like BlackRock, State Street and JP Morgan, are still waitin ...

Core Insights - The US ETF market is experiencing unprecedented growth in 2024, with record inflows and new issuances, surpassing $10 trillion in assets under management [1][3][5] - The surge is driven by various factors, including the popularity of cryptocurrency-related ETFs and actively managed ETFs, which have attracted significant capital [1][2][3] Market Growth - In 2024, investors contributed $1.12 trillion to the US ETF market, marking the first time inflows reached the trillion-dollar level, resulting in a total asset management size of $10.4 trillion [3][5] - The growth of the ETF market is attributed to both market performance and capital inflows, with a notable increase in the number of ETFs, totaling 3,934 after 757 new ETFs were launched [5][7] Asset Class Performance - Equity and fixed income ETFs reached record inflows in 2024, with money market ETFs also gaining traction, attracting over $38 billion, a significant increase from previous years [8][10] - Fixed income ETFs accounted for 26% of total inflows, despite a strong stock market that limited their market share growth [10][11] Investment Strategies - The competition among ETFs spans various asset classes and strategies, with a growing interest in actively managed products, which saw inflows significantly exceeding initial market share expectations [11][12] - In 2024, actively managed equity ETFs attracted $145 billion, far surpassing initial market share predictions by $114 billion, while actively managed bond ETFs saw inflows of $110 billion, exceeding expectations by $16 billion [14][18] Cost Trends - The average cost of ETFs in the US has seen a slight increase of 0.003%, reversing a long-term trend of declining fees, primarily due to the rising costs of actively managed ETFs [23][25] - The average cost of bond ETFs rose by 0.005%, driven by the increased market share of actively managed bond ETFs, which have higher fees compared to vanilla bond funds [28][30] Popular ETFs - The top ten equity ETFs by inflow in 2024 included low-cost vanilla ETFs like VOO and IVV, alongside higher-cost strategy ETFs such as QQQ and RSP [45][47] - In the fixed income category, the top inflows were dominated by core vanilla holdings like AGG and BND, with notable entries from actively managed funds like JAAA and FBND [52][54] Emerging Trends - The approval of spot cryptocurrency ETFs has revitalized the money market ETF segment, with significant inflows into products like the Invesco Bitcoin Trust ETF [55][56] - Leveraged ETFs, particularly those focused on single stocks and cryptocurrencies, have gained popularity, with products like the GraniteShares 2x Long Nvidia Daily ETF (NVDL) seeing substantial interest [56][60]