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VOO and SPYM led S&P 500 ETF inflows, while IVV and SPY suffered outflows.
QQQ, SGOV, GLD and IBIT attracted billions as AI, yields, gold and crypto gained traction.
Intermediate Treasuries, financials and energy ETFs faced notable asset outflows.
August turned out upbeat for Wall Street. State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY - Free Report) has offered 3.7% over the past month (as of Aug. 30, 2026). State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA - Free Report) has added about 2.6%, the Nasdaq-100 ETF Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ - Free Report) tacked on 4.8% gains, and the small-cap iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) added about 1.1%.
Below are the key developments of the month, which played a role in ETF asset generation.
Treasury Buybacks Support Debasement
The Treasury doubled the maximum size of its bond buyback operation to at least $4 billion from $2 billion to help contain rising yields. Though small relative to the Treasury market, the move strengthened the debasement trade.
Dollar Hits Three-Month Low
The U.S. dollar fell to a three-month low against the euro amid concerns that larger Treasury buybacks could pressure the greenback. Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP - Free Report) gained just 0.14% over the past month through Aug. 28, while gold jumped 8.4%.
Crypto Rally Gains Steam
Bitcoin and Ethereum climbed about 23% and 32%, respectively, over the past month as the dollar weakened and optimism around U.S. crypto regulation increased.
NVIDIA Boosts AI Outlook
NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) projected about 70% revenue growth for fiscal 2028, well above Wall Street’s roughly 43% forecast. The upbeat outlook reinforced the AI boom and supported ETFs focused on AI, robotics and next-generation technology.
Fed Rate-Hike Risks Rise
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signaled that inflation remains a concern, boosting market expectations for a September rate hike. Fed funds futures put the odds at 57%, up from 39.9% a week earlier, at the time of writing.
Under ETF Asset Gainers & Losers
Against this backdrop, we highlight the ETF asset flow of last month. The data are as per ETF Central.
S&P 500 Wins, But Not All
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO - Free Report) and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF SPYM have amassed assets worth $27.1 billion and $5.10 billion, respectively, over the past month (as of Aug. 28, 2026). A diversified exposure along with a tilt toward artificial intelligence (AI) trade made the index a stellar performer.
However, iShares Core S&P 500 ETFIVV and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY - Free Report) have lost about $15.72 billion and $3.03 billion in assets, respectively. SPY charges quite high at 9 bps, SPYM is the least pricy with 2 bps in fees. While VOO an IVV both charges 3 bps, higher trading volume of VOO leads to tighter bid-ask spread and lower trading costs.
AI Trade Boosts Nasdaq-100
The Nasdaq-100 funds Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ - Free Report) and Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF QQQM have generated about $9.11 billion and $3.24 billion in assets, respectively. However, total bond market ETFs like Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI - Free Report) fetched about $8.45 billion in assets.
Short-Term Treasuries: A Winner
iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF SGOV has garnered assets of $5.93 billion as the Fed rate hikes regained momentum and short-term treasuries offered investors ways to grab higher yields with lower risks. SGOV yields 3.74% annually and charges 9 bps in fees.
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF VGSH grabbed about $4.45 billion in assets, charges 3 bps in fees and yields 3.82% annually. Long-term treasury ETF iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT - Free Report) , too, generated assets worth $4.41 billion despite a one-month decline of 1.3%.
Gold Glitters
Gold bullion ETF State Street SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD - Free Report) has garnered about $4.73 billion. GLD has jumped about 8.4% over the past month (as of Aug. 29, 2026). Safe-have demand and a flat greenback have boosted gold prices in the month.
Dividend Wins
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFSCHD amassed about $4.40 billion in assets while adding about 3% monthly gains. SCHD charges 6 bps in fees and yields 3% annually.
Bitcoin in Fashion
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF IBIT grabbed about $3.1 billion in assets in the month. And why not? After all, the fund returned a hefty 21.8% in the month.
Intermediate Bond ETFs Underperform
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF - Free Report) and Vanguard Intermediate-Term Government Bond ETFVGIT lost about $5.21 billion and $1.87 billion, respectively.
Financials ETF Loses Assets
State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF - Free Report) shed about $2.54 million in assets in the month.
Energy: Another Unloved Sector
State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE - Free Report) witnessed about $857 million in assets gushing out of the fund.
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Image: Bigstock
ETF Asset Flow of August: S&P 500 Tops
Key Takeaways
August turned out upbeat for Wall Street. State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY - Free Report) has offered 3.7% over the past month (as of Aug. 30, 2026). State Street SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA - Free Report) has added about 2.6%, the Nasdaq-100 ETF Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (QQQ - Free Report) tacked on 4.8% gains, and the small-cap iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) added about 1.1%.
Below are the key developments of the month, which played a role in ETF asset generation.
Treasury Buybacks Support Debasement
The Treasury doubled the maximum size of its bond buyback operation to at least $4 billion from $2 billion to help contain rising yields. Though small relative to the Treasury market, the move strengthened the debasement trade.
Dollar Hits Three-Month Low
The U.S. dollar fell to a three-month low against the euro amid concerns that larger Treasury buybacks could pressure the greenback. Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP - Free Report) gained just 0.14% over the past month through Aug. 28, while gold jumped 8.4%.
Crypto Rally Gains Steam
Bitcoin and Ethereum climbed about 23% and 32%, respectively, over the past month as the dollar weakened and optimism around U.S. crypto regulation increased.
NVIDIA Boosts AI Outlook
NVIDIA (NVDA - Free Report) projected about 70% revenue growth for fiscal 2028, well above Wall Street’s roughly 43% forecast. The upbeat outlook reinforced the AI boom and supported ETFs focused on AI, robotics and next-generation technology.
Fed Rate-Hike Risks Rise
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signaled that inflation remains a concern, boosting market expectations for a September rate hike. Fed funds futures put the odds at 57%, up from 39.9% a week earlier, at the time of writing.
Under ETF Asset Gainers & Losers
Against this backdrop, we highlight the ETF asset flow of last month. The data are as per ETF Central.
S&P 500 Wins, But Not All
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO - Free Report) and State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF SPYM have amassed assets worth $27.1 billion and $5.10 billion, respectively, over the past month (as of Aug. 28, 2026). A diversified exposure along with a tilt toward artificial intelligence (AI) trade made the index a stellar performer.
However, iShares Core S&P 500 ETF IVV and State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY - Free Report) have lost about $15.72 billion and $3.03 billion in assets, respectively. SPY charges quite high at 9 bps, SPYM is the least pricy with 2 bps in fees. While VOO an IVV both charges 3 bps, higher trading volume of VOO leads to tighter bid-ask spread and lower trading costs.
AI Trade Boosts Nasdaq-100
The Nasdaq-100 funds Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ - Free Report) and Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF QQQM have generated about $9.11 billion and $3.24 billion in assets, respectively. However, total bond market ETFs like Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI - Free Report) fetched about $8.45 billion in assets.
Short-Term Treasuries: A Winner
iShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETF SGOV has garnered assets of $5.93 billion as the Fed rate hikes regained momentum and short-term treasuries offered investors ways to grab higher yields with lower risks. SGOV yields 3.74% annually and charges 9 bps in fees.
Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF VGSH grabbed about $4.45 billion in assets, charges 3 bps in fees and yields 3.82% annually. Long-term treasury ETF iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT - Free Report) , too, generated assets worth $4.41 billion despite a one-month decline of 1.3%.
Gold Glitters
Gold bullion ETF State Street SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD - Free Report) has garnered about $4.73 billion. GLD has jumped about 8.4% over the past month (as of Aug. 29, 2026). Safe-have demand and a flat greenback have boosted gold prices in the month.
Dividend Wins
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF SCHD amassed about $4.40 billion in assets while adding about 3% monthly gains. SCHD charges 6 bps in fees and yields 3% annually.
Bitcoin in Fashion
iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF IBIT grabbed about $3.1 billion in assets in the month. And why not? After all, the fund returned a hefty 21.8% in the month.
Intermediate Bond ETFs Underperform
iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (IEF - Free Report) and Vanguard Intermediate-Term Government Bond ETF VGIT lost about $5.21 billion and $1.87 billion, respectively.
Financials ETF Loses Assets
State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF - Free Report) shed about $2.54 million in assets in the month.
Energy: Another Unloved Sector
State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE - Free Report) witnessed about $857 million in assets gushing out of the fund.