There are 457 leveraged ETFs that trade in the US compared with a total of more than 4,300 ETFs overall. That's according to ETF. com.And leveraged ETFs have a total of about 160 billion in assets. So what are leveraged exchange traded funds. The SEC first allowed them in 2006.They're designed to boost the returns of a specific index or asset that they track. So, while a traditional ETF tracks securities on a 1:1 basis, leveraged ETFs typically aim for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio, leverage funds use various investme ...