After a slow 2023, exchange-traded fund listings are revitalizing

In 2023, more than 120 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were delisted in Canada—more than four times as many as in an average year. Even so, there was still a net gain in the overall number of ETFs, with 164 new ones launching for the year. With numbers in for the first quarter of 2024, the high number of delistings appears to have been an anomaly. The smaller net gain of funds in 2023 was likely an indication that there is some testing and maturing going on to see which ETFs Canadians value the most, explains Assistant Professor of Finance Katrin Tinn to Yahoo Finance. And the longer-term trends are strong. “The growth of the ETF space has been spectacular,” adds Associate Professor of Finance Sebastien Betermier. “ETFs have moved into the territory of mutual funds, altering a market that already existed and just has been shifted in composition very much towards the passive funds.”