US ETF inflows hit $437 billion YTD as investors embrace volatility

American investors have poured $437 billion into ETFs so far in 2025, setting a blistering pace that shows no signs of slowing. This flood of capital has come despite some of the most chaotic market conditions since the peak of Covid-era panic.

According toThe Wall Street Journal, ETF inflows are already on track to smash records for the second year in a row, especially if the current tempo continues through summer and fall—as it has in past years.

This year’s surge isn’t just some slow-moving shift away from mutual funds, though that continues too. What’s different is how investors are using volatility itself as a green light.

When U.S. stocks began bouncing violently, people didn’t pull out. They doubled down, betting heavier on domestic assets—and doing it almost entirely through ETFs.

Vanguard’s VOO takes in $65 billion as volatility peaks

The ETF vacuum cleaner this year is Vanguard’s S&P 500 ETF, known by ticker VOO, which has already soaked up $65 billion in net inflows. That puts it well ahead of every other fund in the country.

VOO is now the largest ETF in the world by assets, leapfrogging its own record-breaking 2024 haul of $116 billion. If current momentum keeps up, it’ll hit that figure again by October.

VOO’s breakout moment came in April, when market volatility spiked to a five-year high. At the same time, the fund recorded its highest-ever monthly inflows. Greg Davis, Vanguard’s chief investment officer, explained the behavior by pointing to investor cash reserves:

“During that period of tumult in early April, we saw a 5-to-1 buy-to-sell ratio. Investors have a tremendous amount of cash sitting on the sidelines and they know that if things are on sale, it is time to put money to work.”

Investors have been loading up on stock funds, bond funds, passive trackers, and active strategies.  And for the first time, actively managed ETFs are capturing serious attention. They’ve pulled in 30% of all ETF inflows in 2025, even though they only make up less than 10% of the ETF market.

Short-term bond funds rake in billions from cautious investors

Not everyone is diving headfirst into equities. BlackRock’s 0–3 Month Treasury bond ETF has pulled in $17 billion this year, making it the second-most popular ETF of 2025 so far. The fund pays a 4.7% trailing yield, offering what looks like a safe parking spot with actual returns. A similar fund from State Street also ranks in the top 10.

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, sees a defensive trend among bond buyers.

“We are seeing some defensiveness on the fixed-income side,” he said. “With several short-term Treasury products in the top 10, that’s a sign investors are happy being paid to wait.”

But while short-term bond funds are pulling in billions, equity ETFs are still dominating the overall flows. Other names in the ETF leaderboard include State Street’s own S&P 500 fund, Vanguard’s total stock-market and equity growth funds, and two Nasdaq-100 funds from Invesco.

JPMorgan’s actively managed equity fund, which uses options to reduce volatility and boost dividend payouts, also made the top 10. Analysts have dubbed these kinds of funds “boomer candy” because of their appeal to older investors. But the demand isn’t slowing. JPMorgan is building on a strong 2024 and carrying that energy into this year.

Big players like Fidelity are also pushing hard into active ETFs. Meanwhile, Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, made headlines at the Saudi-U.S. investment forum in Riyadh when he pointed to a giant pile of unused cash sitting on the sidelines.

“In the United States, there’s $11 trillion sitting in money-market funds,” Larry said. “When there is uncertainty, you’re going to keep more money in cash and that is what we witnessed.”

All of this is fueling even more ETF innovation. Dozens of fund managers have already filed with the SEC to create ETF share classes of their current mutual funds. That would allow them to keep using the same investing strategy, but in a cheaper, more flexible format. And it’s gaining momentum fast.

Mark Uyeda, a commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission, said he has already instructed his staff to prioritize these applications. Industry insiders expect formal approval could come before the end of 2025.

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