ETF assets soar 44% in 2007

Assets invested in exchange traded funds grew by $32 billion, or 5.5%, to $608 billion in November, according to the State Street Global Advisors U.S. ETF Snapshot. For 2007, assets invested in ETFs grew by $187 billion, or 44%. The largest fund companies were Barclays Global Investors, State Street and the Vanguard Group, which managed $329 billion, $158.1 billion and $42 billion, respectively. The largest asset gains in 2007 were in International ETFs, with added $59 billion in assets to reach $164.9 billion, and Size ETFs, which added $44.6 billion to hit the $196.9 billion mark. The ETF universe added 17 funds in December, bringing its size to 628 funds as of Dec. 31. Fully, 270 ETFs were added in 2007, representing a 75% increase in the number of ETFs launched compared to 2006. The Specialty category added 141 new funds in 2007, bringing its size to 222, making it the category with the greatest number of ETFs.