US ETFs attract $185bn in May; bond funds record $64bn

State Street Investment Management reported that investors placed USD185 billion into US-listed exchange-traded funds in May 2026. Bond ETFs attracted a record USD64 billion, while equity ETFs received USD119 billion.

The May total was the second-largest monthly inflow on record, exceeding April’s USD177 billion. Year-to-date net new assets reached USD830 billion, and State Street projected that flows would top USD1 trillion by June 26.

Within the USD64 billion of bond ETF inflows, credit-focused funds added about USD9 billion and securitised bond funds took in roughly USD4 billion. Inflation-linked bond ETFs gained USD2.6 billion. Broad commodity ETFs collected about USD800 million.

Equity ETF inflows of USD119 billion were concentrated in technology, which drew USD12.9 billion. All other sector groups combined recorded about USD4 billion of outflows. Real estate ETFs attracted USD1.8 billion, and energy-related ETFs received USD500 million despite the energy sector falling roughly 6 percent in May.

State Street reported that weak macroeconomic signals pressured bond yields, leaving overall ETF performance largely flat for the month.