Canadian exchange-traded funds just keep growing

Article Excerpt

Canadian ETFs had another outstanding year in 2021. By the end of the year, there were 1,177 listed funds with a total asset base of $323 billion. On both counts, these were all-time highs. The long-term growth in the industry continues to accelerate. Ten years ago there were only 236 ETFs listed in Canada, with a total asset base of $44 billion. This means that the number of ETFs increased by 398% and the asset base by 634%. Equities remain the most popular asset class, comprising 54% of the total base. Canadian and U.S. equity ETFs are the largest subcomponents of stock ETFs. Fixed-income ETFs make up 27% of the assets. RBC/iShares remains the dominant player in the Canadian market, with a 30% share of the overall asset base. That’s followed by BMO (26% share) and Vanguard (12%). Some of the smaller ETF firms also made good progress during the year, with new funds and strong inflows. TD Asset Management, National Bank, Manulife…