Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, joined Nate Geraci on this week’s ETF Prime to discuss five emerging flow trends as the ETF industry tracks toward $1.8 trillion in inflows for 2026. The industry pulled in roughly $150 billion in January, building on the record $1.5 trillion gathered in 2025.
Active fixed income ETFs continue to dominate bond flows, with roughly 40% of all fixed income inflows in 2025 going to active products, according to Rosenbluth. The trend accelerated in January as the Pimco Active Bond ETF (BOND) gathered over $2 billion in inflows. The iShares Flexible Active ETF (BINC), the Fidelity Total Bond (FBND), and the JPMorgan Income ETF (JPIE) also saw strong demand.
Thematic ETFs are pivoting from artificial intelligence toward defense and drones amid geopolitical concerns. The Global X Defense Technology ETF (SHLD) gathered over $1 billion in January and was up 20% for the year as of the recording, Rosenbluth said. The Rex Drones ETF (DRNZ) has gained 29% since launching in October 2025 and holds about $60 million in assets.
Early Signs of Diversification
Investors are showing early signs of moving away from mega-cap concentration. The Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) pulled in $5 billion in January after bleeding $3 billion in 2025, according to Rosenbluth. And as part of a sector rotation, the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) gained nearly $4 billion this year after $1 billion in outflows last year.
Silver and gold present a flow disconnect. Silver is up 65% this year but the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) saw $2.5 billion in outflows. Rosenbluth attributed a 15x spike in SLV trading volume on one day to short-term trading rather than long-term flows. Gold is up nearly 25% and has seen almost $5 billion in inflows.
Crypto ETFs are the only broad category with outflows so far in 2026. The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC) outflows are offsetting inflows from BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) and the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC). A recent VettaFi and Bitwise survey showed 32% of advisors now allocate to crypto in client accounts, up from 22%.
Read more: Crypto Survey Reveals New Insights
Chris Getter, managing director at Simplify Asset Management, discussed the private credit market and the Simplify VettaFi Private Credit Strategy ETF (PCR). Private credit offers roughly 15% yields compared to 4.8% for investment grade and 6.5% for high yield, according to Getter. The ETF uses business development companies and closed-end funds to provide daily liquidity with a proprietary credit hedge to cushion drawdowns.
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VettaFi LLC (“VettaFi”) is the index provider for DRNZ and PCR, for which it receives an index licensing fee. However, DRNZ and PCR are not issued, sponsored, endorsed, or sold by VettaFi, and VettaFi has no obligation or liability in connection with the issuance, administration, marketing, or trading of DRNZ and PCR.