ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have surged beyond $300 billion in collective value as more Australians put their faith in this investment vehicle.
Last month alone, Aussie investors ploughed $5 billion into ASX ETFs.
According to Betashares, that was the second time the industry has seen more than $5 billion of inflows into ETFs in a single month.
ASX ETFs holding international stocks took the lion's share of that inflow at $1.9 billion, with Aussies enthusiastically embracing ETFs as an easy way to tap into overseas markets.
ASX ETFs make investing comparatively easier by offering baskets of stocks that can be purchased in a single online trade for one brokerage fee.
Most ETFs follow an index, and there is an index for almost anything you want to invest in these days.
Some of the indices that ETFs track include benchmark indices, like the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) in Australia and the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) in the US.
There are also strategy-based indices like the Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY), which is the largest dividend-strategy ETF on the Aussie market.
There are also industry-based ETFs, like the Betashares Global Gold Miners Currency Hedged ETF (ASX: MNRS) – which was the best performing ASX ETF last month, and sector-based indices like the VanEck Global Healthcare Leaders ETF (ASX: HLTH).
Then there's the thematic ETFs, such as the VanEck Global Defence ETF (ASX: DFND), which has shot the lights out, and the Video Games and Esports ETF (ASX: GAME), which is capitalising on the worldwide video gaming craze.
You can get an idea of which ASX ETFs are the most popular with Aussie investors by their market capitalisation.
Market cap is simply the unit price of the ETF multiplied by the number of units issued in the marketplace.
Image source: Getty Images
Here are the 8 most popular ASX ETFs today
| Rank | ASX ETF | Market Cap |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS) | $22,463,356,819 |
| 2 | Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS) | $13,141,836,321 |
| 3 | iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV) | $12,322,187,268 |
| 4 | Betashares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200) | $8,463,575,669 |
| 5 | iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ) | $7,707,946,787 |
| 6 | VanEck MSCI World Ex-Australia Quality ETF (ASX: QUAL) | $7,673,330,146 |
| 7 | Betashares NASDAQ 100 ETF (ASX: NDQ) | $7,321,857,817 |
| 8 | SPDR S&P/ASX 200 (ASX: STW) | $6,252,247,979 |
