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Goldman Sachs expects US-listed ETFs to attract over $2 trillion in 2026
🇴🇲 Oman /Economy & Trade

Goldman Sachs expects US-listed ETFs to attract over $2 trillion in 2026

From Times of Oman · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Goldman Sachs predicts U.S.-listed ETFs will attract over $2 trillion in 2026, a 40% increase from 2025.
  • Active ETFs are a major growth driver, accounting for over 35% of inflows in 2026.
  • Product innovation and rising demand for customized and thematic strategies are fueling the ETF market's expansion.

Investments in U.S.-listed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are poised for significant growth, with Goldman Sachs Global Banking & Markets forecasting inflows to exceed $2 trillion in 2026. This projection represents a substantial 40% increase compared to the inflows anticipated in 2025.

We're now seeing some of the most advanced active management strategies in the markets expressed within the ETF wrapper.

— Tom CampbellHead of Americas ETF distribution at Goldman Sachs Global Banking & Markets, explaining the evolving use of ETFs.

The market is already on track for a record year, having already seen over $1 trillion flow into U.S.-listed ETFs in the first half of 2026. Goldman Sachs notes a structural shift in the ETF market, where investors are increasingly utilizing these funds for active management, portfolio construction, thematic exposure, and risk management, moving beyond their traditional role of tracking market indexes.

Actively managed ETFs are emerging as a key catalyst for this market expansion. In 2026, these funds are expected to capture over 35% of ETF inflows, despite representing only about 13% of the $16.1 trillion in assets under management within U.S.-listed ETFs. This trend is clearly visible on trading desks, indicating a strong investor appetite for actively managed strategies within the ETF structure.

Active is really driving a lot of growth in the ETF market and it's definitely noticeable on the trading desk.

— Jackson IsaacsHead of Americas equity ETF trading at Goldman Sachs Global Banking & Markets, on the impact of active ETFs.

Goldman Sachs also points to the rapid pace of product innovation as a contributing factor to the surge. With over 1,100 new ETFs launched in 2025 and expectations that this record will be surpassed in 2026, the number of U.S.-listed ETFs is projected to exceed 6,000. Furthermore, rising investor demand for personalized portfolios and thematic investment strategies, such as semiconductor and software ETFs, is driving further growth. ETF trading volumes are also robust, running 50% above 2025 levels and averaging around $320 billion in daily notional trading volume.

The ETF industry is averaging roughly $320 billion in notional trading volume per day.

— Tom CampbellHead of Americas ETF distribution at Goldman Sachs Global Banking & Markets, describing daily trading volumes.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of Oman. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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