ETF Data Watch
First Trust's October 2026 flows monitor shows US-listed ETFs took in $139.9 billion of net inflows in September, lifting total assets to $15.9 trillion.
What it says
Figures as stated by First Trust, Oct 7, 2026- First Trust counts $64.8 billion of September net inflows into equity ETFs and $57.4 billion into fixed income ETFs.First Trust, p. 1
- Active equity ETFs drew $33.0 billion in September against $31.8 billion for passive equity ETFs, by First Trust's count.First Trust, p. 1
- First Trust puts actively managed equity ETFs at $1.25 trillion at the end of September, or 9.9% of equity ETF assets.First Trust, p. 1
- First Trust reports active fixed income ETFs held $647.6 billion, or 24.4% of fixed income ETF assets.First Trust, p. 1
- First Trust shows US Treasury and agency ETFs leading fixed income categories in September with $22.4 billion of net inflows.First Trust, p. 1
The ETFIQ take
ETFIQ data to Oct 20, 2026 · the 746 of 4,807 ETFs ETFIQ covers with a daily figure, Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026First Trust reports net inflows of $139.9 billion into US-listed ETFs in September, taking assets to $15.9 trillion. From Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026, the ETFs ETFIQ can count had a net flow of +$127.9bn, with +$90.1bn for stock ETFs and +$35.7bn for bond ETFs.
+$127.9bnnet flow, Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026, summed over the 746 of 4,807 ETFs ETFIQ covers with a daily figureOct 20, 2026 · ETFIQ →+$461.8bnnet flow, Jan 2, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026, summed over the 713 of 4,807 ETFs ETFIQ covers with a daily figureOct 20, 2026 · ETFIQ →+$90.1bnnet flow into stock ETFs, Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026, over the 322 of 1,739 with a daily figureOct 20, 2026 · ETFIQ →+$35.7bnnet flow into bond ETFs, Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026, over the 204 of 833 with a daily figureOct 20, 2026 · ETFIQ →
Paper: US-listed ETFs, September 2026, with trailing 12-month totals. ETFIQ: the 746 of 4,807 ETFs ETFIQ covers with a daily figure, Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026. Net flow is the change in shares outstanding times the day’s NAV, summed over the days in the window, for the funds with a daily figure. The two sets and windows differ; the figures are stated, not reconciled.MethodData
Related ETFs
The largest ETFs ETFIQ covers, by net assetsVOOVanguard S&P 500 ETF+16.5%IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETF+16.5%SPYSPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust+16.4%VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF+15.9%QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1+19.2%VUGVanguard Morningstar Growth ETF+11.2%
Figure: total return, 1 year, to Oct 21, 2026, from each fund’s page. All 4,807 ETFs in the screener →
Related papers
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Release: Estimated ETF Net IssuanceOct 20, 2026 · ETFIQ takeJ.P. Morgan Asset ManagementIssuer
Guide to ETFsOct 15, 2026 · ETFIQ takeInvestment Company InstituteIndustry body
Release: Active and Index Investing, August 2026Sep 30, 2026 · ETFIQ takeQuestions people ask
What does the First Trust paper conclude?
First Trust's October 2026 flows monitor shows US-listed ETFs took in $139.9 billion of net inflows in September, lifting total assets to $15.9 trillion. The paper’s own words are at the link above.
What does ETFIQ’s data show on the same question?
From Sep 21, 2026 to Oct 20, 2026, the ETFs ETFIQ can count had a net flow of +$127.9bn, with +$90.1bn for stock ETFs and +$35.7bn for bond ETFs. ETFIQ states both figures and does not reconcile them.
What is an ETF’s net flow?
The change in its shares outstanding times its net asset value, summed over the days of a window: money in less money out. More on this →
Where can I read “ETF Data Watch”?
On First Trust’s own site. ETFIQ summarizes the paper and does not host it. First Trust’s page ↗
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, ETF Data Watch (First Trust), summary and ETFIQ take, as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/research/library/first-trust-etf-data-watch/
Summary by ETFIQ. ETFIQ is not affiliated with First Trust; logos identify the source.