Fun fact: Over the past decade, exchange-traded funds hauled in $2.7 trillion in new assets while actively managed mutual funds bled $684 billion . That trend isn't stopping. In 2020, it's accelerating. ETFs gathered $97 billion in new assets last month, easily smashing the prior monthly record of $62 billion and the bulk of that cash is going to equity-based ETFs, confirming animal spirits are alive and well.
Source: 3 Of 2020's Best ETFs: A Clean Active Bunch That Can Rally Again In 2021
Inflows are nice, but performance is what should really matter to investors. To that end, 25 U.S.-listed ETFs have more than doubled this year. Making that number all the more impressive is that the group features just three are geared products: the MicroSectors FANG+ Index 2X Leveraged ETN (NYSE: FNGO), MicroSectors FANG+ Index 3X Leveraged ETN (NYSE: FNGU) and the Direxion Daily CSI China Internet Bull 2X Shares (NYSE: CWEB).
Regarding the remaining 22 ETFs that are up at least 100% year-to-date, all can be considered thematic funds and nearly all fit into one of two buckets: online shopping or renewable energy. Of those 22, 10 fit into those two categories and that doesn't include some internet ETFs with ample e-commerce exposure