Growth and evolution have been recurring themes in the exchange-traded universe in 2011, as investors are now faced with a diverse product lineup of over 1,400 ETPs. More than 300 of those are new additions in 2011, a year that broke the previous record for extent of product development. And while many of the new
ETFs that launched in 2011 are on the small side, some of these funds have come flying out of the gates to attract significant cash inflows.
Through December 13, 18 ETFs that debuted in 2011 had accumulated at least $100 million in assets, an impressive total that illustrates the tremendous growth potential remaining in a market some believed was approaching its saturation point:
1. iShares High Dividend Equity Fund (NYSEARCA:HDV): This ETF provides investors with exposure to 75 U.S. companies that have provided relatively high dividend yields on a consistent basis. Top holdings include AT&T, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and Intel [see Special Report: Dividend ETFs In Focus
].
2. PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio (NYSEARCA:SPLV): This fund consists of 100 stocks from the S&P 500 Index that have the lowest realized volatility over the past 12 months [see Low Volatility ETFs Attracting Big Inflows].
3. Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ:VXUS): This ETF tracks the MSCI All Country ex-USA Investable Market Index, which is made up of a whopping 6,700 stocks issued by companies located outside of the United States.
4. WisdomTree Asia Local Debt Fund (NYSEARCA:ALD): This fund gives investors exposure to local-debt denominated in the currencies of Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) countries. ALD is comprised of holdings from South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, India, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand [try our Free ETF Country Exposure Tool].
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