While most of our coverage centers on exchange traded funds (ETFs) listed in the United States, we realize that they aren’t just a U.S. phenomenon. We might have the largest market for them, but Europe, Asia and Latin America all boast fast-growing ETF industries of their own.
At the end of 2007, the European ETF market had amassed assets of $128.4 billion in 423 funds, reports Paul Amery for Index Universe.
iShares is the leading ETF provider in both here and in Europe, while State Street Global Advisors is the second-largest provider in the United States. The lack of similarity of product providers within the two markets is interesting, but as time goes on there will be more overlaps.
As for asset class, fixed income has almost three times the amount in fixed income that Americans do, thanks to Europeans’ historical preference for bonds. Both markets have a strong domestic bias, but the European equity sector is less interested in overseas investing than the United States is.