Airlie Australian Share Fund (ASX:AASF) Share Price News | The Motley Fool Australia https://www.fool.com.au/tickers/asx-aasf/ Since 1993, millions of investors have trusted The Motley Fool for simple, down-to-earth investing research. Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:00 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.fool.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/cropped-cap-icon-freesite-96x96.png Airlie Australian Share Fund (ASX:AASF) Share Price News | The Motley Fool Australia https://www.fool.com.au/tickers/asx-aasf/ 32 32 How ASX ETF investors repositioned as the Iran war shook markets https://www.fool.com.au/2026/04/14/how-asx-etf-investors-repositioned-as-the-iran-war-shook-markets/ Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:17:07 +0000 https://www.fool.com.au/?p=1836158 The top 10 ASX ETFs for inflows and outflows last month reveal some interesting insights.

The post How ASX ETF investors repositioned as the Iran war shook markets appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

]]> S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) shares fell 7.8% during the first month of the Iran war and the ensuing oil shock.

Rising oil and gas prices rattled investors, raising concerns about the impact on the businesses they were invested in.

We are starting to see that impact, with Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) doubling its jet fuel cost estimates for 2H FY26 today.

Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) chair Dr Andrew Forrest has also revealed they paid up to double for emergency fuel supplies last month.

With all this in mind, it's interesting to look at how Aussie investors repositioned their ASX ETF portfolios as the conflict unfolded.

Aussies have $329 billion invested in ASX ETFs, and last month they ploughed an additional $5.6 billion into their favoured funds.

That makes March the third-highest month for net inflows ever. It seems the volatility caused by the war did not dampen their interest.

A new report from Betashares, which shows the top 10 ASX ETFs for inflows and outflows last month, reveals some interesting trends.

Let's take a look.

Top 10 ASX ETFs for inflows last month

ASX ETFAmount
Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS)$895,737,926
Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)$544,375,179
Vanguard All-World ex US Shares Index ETF (ASX: VEU)$411,499,905
iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ)$324,006,912
iShares U.S. Factor Rotation Active ETF (ASX: IACT)$272,290,741
Betashares Global Shares ETF (ASX: BGBL)$254,954,620
iShares S&P Europe ETF (ASX: IEU)$250,738,482
Betashares Global Shares Currency Hedged ETF (ASX: HGBL)$235,960,993
iShares S&P 500 AUD Hedged ETF (ASX: IHVV)$232,411,736
Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY)$174,883,785

Top 10 ETFs for outflows

ASX ETFAmount
iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV)-$461,301,546
Magellan Global Fund (Open Class) (Managed Fund) (ASX: MGOC)-$189,775,555
iShares Global High Yield Bond (AUD Hedged) ETF (ASX: IHHY)-$133,228,387
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF (ASX: EMXC)-$70,942,670
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE)-$70,120,623
iShares Core FTSE Global Infrastructure (AUD Hedged) ETF (ASX: GLIN)-$67,261,421
Betashares Global Sustainability Leaders ETF (ASX: ETHI)-$53,986,599
Betashares Australian Credit Income Active ETF (ASX: HBRD)-$52,576,579
Airlie Australian Share Fund (ASX: AASF)-$46,503,867
Betashares Gold Bullion ETF – Currency Hedged (ASX: QAU)-$44,214,386

How ASX ETFs investors repositioned last month

The VAS ETF is the most popular Australian shares ETF on the market, so it's no surprise to see it take out the top spot.

VGS is the most popular international shares ETF, so it's routine to see it close to the top as well.

The presence of IHVV in the top inflows list, and its unhedged counterpart IVV ETF in the top outflows, shows investors are mindful of currency changes over the past 12 months.

The Australian dollar has risen from just over 60 US cents 12 months ago to a three-year high of 70.8 US cents today.

As James Gruber, Equity Market Strategist at CommSec, points out:

When the Australian dollar strengthens, your international ETF returns shrink, and if the Australian dollar weakens, your returns improve.

Outflows from QAU ETF reflect profit-taking amid a 21% decline in the gold price over the first three weeks of March.

Sprott Managing Partner, Paul Wong, said investors need not be worried though.

Wong added:

Gold's March drop reflects a liquidity crunch, not a breakdown in its long-term role. 

As financial stress builds, gold is likely to reassert itself as a key monetary anchor.

Another interesting trend is the inflows into non-US international ETFs, reflecting the poorer performance of US markets this year.

In the year to date, the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) has lifted just 0.6% compared to a 3% bump for the ASX 200.

The post How ASX ETF investors repositioned as the Iran war shook markets appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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