The most popular ETFs aren’t necessarily the best performing ETFs. They’re just the ones that investors are choosing based on their own assessment, market commentary, or trends.
We’ve listed the most popular ETFs by funds under management (FUM) growth, as well as the most popular ETFs by flows (i.e. where investors are putting their money or taking money out).
While investors shouldn’t just follow the pack when it comes to investing, a standout trend is how often popular investments are those that are low cost and track a broad market index (like the S&P/ASX 300). These types of ETFs are less risky as they offer more diversification than many thematic ETFs.
Most popular ETFs by funds under management (FUM) growth
5. Hyperion Global Growth Companies Fund (Managed Fund) (HYGG)
One year FUM change: +$1.1 billion (+92%)
Hyperion converted its unlisted managed fund into an ETF in March 2021, and since then has benefitted from a strong calendar year performance and consistent flows. However, the fund has suffered a pullback of ~20% as rising interest rates have impacted high growth companies negatively.
4. BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (A200)
One year FUM change: +$1.2 billion (+99%)
The Australian share market has held up strong compared to global peers, and the lowest cost Australian share ETF on the market (charging 0.07%) was able to increase its size by $1.2 billion.
3. iShares S&P 500 ETF (IVV)
One year FUM change: +$1.3 billion (+33%)
Investors gravitated towards U.S. markets as they experienced a strong recovery from the COVID-19 fall. IVV is one of the most popular ETFs amongst our Stockspot Themes clients.
2. Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (VGS)
One year FUM change: +$1.8 billion (+61%)
VGS tracks the broader global share market and has benefited from strong performance and investor flows due to its low cost and large liquidity. However, VGS has underperformed Stockspot’s chosen global share ETF (IOO) which you can read more about here.
1. Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (VAS)
One year FUM change: +$3.2 billion (+41%)
The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (VAS) continues to be the most popular ETF for Australians in terms of size. VAS increased its size by $3.2 billion over the past year. With the exception of the Magellan Global Fund – Open Class Units (Managed Fund) (MGOC), which transformed its open and close ended fund, VAS continues to reign as the most popular ETF in Australia, with $11 billion under management.
It’s why we recommend the VAS ETF to clients. Read more about the best Australian shares.
Most Popular ETFs by flows
The Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (VAS) continued to attract investor flows with $2.3 billion in net flows over the last 12 months and continues to be one of the most popular ETFs in Australia.
The Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (VGS) which tracks a diversified portfolio of global shares wasn’t too far behind, attracting $1.4 billion in new flows. Both VAS and VGS took in 16% of the $23 billion in total net flows for the last 12 months, which shows how much investors trust broad based index ETFs.
Other broad based ETFs such as the BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (A200) attracted over $1 billion in flows, while the active fund manager Hyperion saw continued support to be the third most popular ETF by flows.
Finally in 5th position, the Vanguard Diversified High Growth Index ETF (VDHG) attracted $850 million as investors were attracted to the convenient diversified structure, despite underperforming Stockspot’s diversified portfolios.
Most popular ETFs in 2022
| ETF CODE | ETF NAME | CHANGE IN FUM ($m) | FUM MAR’21 ($m) | FUM MAR’22 ($m) |
| VAS | Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF | $3,231 | $7,799 | $11,030 |
| VGS | Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF | $1,771 | $2,926 | $4,697 |
| IVV | iShares S&P 500 ETF | $1,304 | $3,948 | $5,252 |
| A200 | BetaShares Australia 200 ETF | $1,194 | $1,212 | $2,406 |
| HYGG | Hyperion Global Growth Companies Fund (Managed Fund) | $1,062 | $1,148 | $2,210 |
Least popular ETFs in 2022
| ETF CODE | ETF NAME | CHANGE IN FUM ($m) | FUM MAR’21 ($m) | FUM MAR’22 ($m) |
| MGOC | Magellan Global Fund – Open Class Units (Managed Fund) | -$2,396 | $13,613 | $11,218 |
| BILL | iShares Core Cash ETF | -$192 | $469 | $278 |
| VAF | Vanguard Australian Fixed Interest Index ETF | -$166 | $1,464 | $1,298 |
| ASIA | BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF | -$157 | $663 | $505 |
| AAA | BetaShares Australian High Interest Cash ETF | -$136 | $2,155 | $2,020 |
