I propose an alternative explanation- this year Vanguard’s patent on having an etf share class attached to an open ended mutual fund expired. That gives other issuers the ability to add an etf share class to existing funds, which creates tax advantages for legacy holders by being able to push out low cost basis shares as well as open another distribution channel.
It’s worth digging into the new things more to see how much of an effect this had.
Wow, as of last week?
Oh yes data is monthly, to 31 October 2025.
But even November so far is seeing an ongoing flurry: https://www.etf.com/tools/etf-launches
Interesting chart. Would have been nice for data from the ‘96-‘99 era to compare. Thx. Mark
will have a dig, albeit it will be more about mutual funds back then as ETFs only really started becoming popular in the mid/late-2000's.
I propose an alternative explanation- this year Vanguard’s patent on having an etf share class attached to an open ended mutual fund expired. That gives other issuers the ability to add an etf share class to existing funds, which creates tax advantages for legacy holders by being able to push out low cost basis shares as well as open another distribution channel.
It’s worth digging into the new things more to see how much of an effect this had.