Say the gods over at BlackRock in Old Blighty (i.e. London):
BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) today announced that Global Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)1 assets hit an all time high of $1 trillion (US$1,032 Bn) at the end of December 2009 – 45.2% above US$710.9 Bn at the end of 2008, according to the latest figures from BlackRock published today in its ETF Landscape Year End 2009 preview report. The global ETF industry had 1,939 ETFs with 3,775 listings, and assets of US$1,032 Bn from 109 providers on 40 exchanges around the world at the end of December 2009. Year-To-Date (YTD) assets have risen by 45.2%, which is more than the 27.0% rise in the MSCI World Index in US dollar terms.
"'Over the past decade the compound annual growth rate for ETF assets globally was 56.3%, it was 58.1% in the United States, 53.1% in Canada and 90.5% in Europe, and there are no signs that investor interest in ETFs is fading. Investors are finding that ETFs are products that work well in every market environment,' said Deborah Fuhr, Global Head of ETF Research & Implementation Strategy at BlackRock."