In the world of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) ecosystem, the market seemingly begins and ends with the ETF issuer. Summarily, the issuer is responsible for the creation and administration of the ETF.
Looking more closely at its functions, the ETF issuer designs or obtains assistance with designing the index that will serve as the basis for the actual ETF. Once the shares of the ETF are distributed to the marketplace, the ETF issuer will also maintain the index and handle the general marketing of the fund.
There are currently 136 ETF issuers putting out over 2,000 exchange-traded products (ETPs) to the capital markets. In 2018, the number of ETFs has increased by almost 6 percent with more on the horizon for 2019 to add to an already impressive over $3 trillion in ETF assets.
Here is a list of the top 10 ETF issuers for 2018 based on market capitalization, as well as three of their biggest funds (if available), as of Dec. 20, 2018.
1. BlackRock, Inc. — $1.33 Trillion
2. Vanguard — $857.66 Billion
- Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEArca: VTI)
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: VOO)
- Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (NYSEArca: VEA)
3. SSGA Funds Management, Inc. — $523.69 Billion
- SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEArca: SPY)
- Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEArca: XLF)
- SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSEArca: DIA)
4. Invesco Capital Management LLC — $170.85 Billion
- Invesco QQQ Trust (NasdaqGM: QQQ)
- Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSEArca: RSP)
- Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (NYSEArca: SPLV)
5. Charles Schwab Investment Management — $113.86 Billion
- Schwab International Equity ETF (NYSEArca: SCHF)
- Schwab US Large-Cap ETF (NYSEArca: SCHX)
- Schwab US Broad Market ETF (NYSEArca: SCHB)
6. First Trust Advisors LP — $62.14 Billion
- First Trust Dow Jones Internet ETF (NYSEArca: FDN)
- First Trust Value Line Dividend ETF (NYSEArca: FVD)
- First Trust Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (NasdaqGM: FTSM)
7. WisdomTree Investments — $36.26 Billion
- WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (NYSEArca: DXJ)
- WisdomTree Europe Hedged Equity ETF (NYSEArca: HEDJ)
- WisdomTree US MidCap Dividend ETF (NYSEArca: DON)
8. Van Eck Associates Corp — $33.53 Billion
- VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDX)
- VanEck Vectors JP Morgan EM LC Bd ETF (NYSEArca: EMLC)
- VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (NYSEArca: GDXJ)
9. World Gold Trust Services, LLC — $30.81 Billion
10. ProShares Advisors, LLC — $27.59 Billion
- ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (BATS: NOBL)
- ProShares UltraPro QQQ (NasdaqGM: TQQQ)
- ProShares Ultra S&P500 (NYSEArca: SSO)
For more market trends, visit ETF Trends.