I have been tracking the ETF industry for a long time. I remember when the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) made history as the very first ETF to hit the $100 billion mark. Since then nearly two dozen have joined SPY. In mid July, a whole new class of mega-funds was about to hit this $100 billion ETFs milestone. Consequently, these funds have helped push the industry to record levels with over $1 trillion of new money in the first half of the year.
Key Takeaways
- QQQM was approaching $100 billion in assets, proving advisors are seeking lower-cost growth alternatives to investing in the S&P 500 Index.
- Ultra-short cash alternative SGOV amassed $98 billion in assets by offering an attractive 3.8% trailing yield as of mid-July 2026.
- Invesco’s RSP has climbed to $96 billion by successfully shifting portfolio weight away from technology and into smaller sectors like industrials and utilities.
Invesco’s Low Cost Nasdaq Alternative
Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM): Now at $99 billion, QQQM was launched in 2020. This fund is a lower-cost alternative to its highly liquid $480 billion sibling, QQQ. It tracks the exact same index of top non-financial innovators, but with a lower expense ratio.
As a result, longer-term investors prefer QQQM. Despite fresh competition from industry titans like iShares and State Street, QQQM’s retail and advisor momentum has not slowed down. Specifically, year to date through July 15 QQQM added $17 billion in new money. The ETF rose 17% in value.
Schwab’s Dividend Success Story
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD): Sitting recently at $99 billion, SCHD is currently the second-largest dividend ETF on the market. Abbott Labs and Home Depot are examples of the high-quality, dividend payers SCHD owns. Moreover, the ETF’s growth proves that even in an age of artificial intelligence, disciplined dividend growth never goes out of style.
In particular, SCHD gathered $14 billion of new money thus far in 2026. Demand was aided by a strong 19% gain.
