Investing August 23, 2001

ETF Assets Dip in July

August 23, 2001(PLANSPONSOR.com) - Assets invested in exchange traded funds (ETFs) added up to $75.52 billion at the close of July 2001, a decrease of $40 million on the previous month, according a report by the Investment Company Institute (ICI).

Reported by

Camilla Klein

The value of shares issued exceeding that of shares redeemed by $2.58 billion, with gross issuance falling to $5.62 billion in July from $7.24 billion in June, while redemptions slowed to $3.04 billion from $3.81 billion.

Sectors, Global Slip

Broad-based domestic equity ETF assets rose to $63.76 billion at the end of July, from a June total of $66.92 billion while domestic sector/industry funds were down slightly to $6.65 billion, from $6.72 billion in June. Global/international ETFs also slipped somewhat, to $1.84 billion from $1.92 billion a month earlier.

The ICI report includes 33 broad-based domestic equity ETFs, 33 domestic sector/industry focused funds, and 25 global/internationally-oriented ETFs.

Statistics contained in the monthly ETF report have been obtained from information provided to ICI by exchange-traded funds. Trust-issued receipts, such as Holding Company Depository Receipts (HOLDRS), are not included in the report because registered investment companies do not issue them.

An ETF is similar to a mutual fund, but trades like a single stock. Like a mutual fund, an ETF is a basket of stocks, most typically reflecting a particular index, specific market or geographic sectors.