Cryptocurrencies outrank fixed-income as the second most sought-after asset class among exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors, according to a survey by asset manager Charles Schwab.

Some 45% of ETF investors plan to invest in crypto, lagging only equities, which are sought by 55% of respondents, the survey said .

“Almost half of Schwab’s respondents said they plan to invest in crypto ETFs, more than bonds, international, alts. Pretty stunning,” Eric Balchunas, an ETF analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence, said in an Oct. 10 post on the X platform.

Source: Charles Schwab

Related: Crypto dominates biggest 2024 ETF launches: The ETF Store

Among millennial ETF investors, cryptocurrencies outrank even equities, with 62% seeking to invest, the survey said.

Cryptocurrency ETFs accounted for 13 of the 25 largest ETF launches in 2024 by year-to-date inflows, according to a  post  on the X platform by Nate Geraci, president of The ETF Store, an investment adviser specializing in ETFs. 

Of the approximately 400 new ETFs launched in 2024, the four biggest launches by inflows have all been spot Bitcoin ( BTC ) ETFs, Geraci said.

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) tops the charts, with almost $21 billion in inflows through August. It is followed by Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), with nearly $10 billion in net inflows, and ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) and Bitwise Bitcoin ETF Trust (BITB), each with roughly $2 billion in net inflows, according to the post.

In seventh place is the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA), which led the pack among Ether ( ETH ) ETFs with upward of $1 billion in net inflows.

Top ETF launches in 2024. Source: The ETF Store

Investment managers expect the United States debut of options on spot BTC ETFs to accelerate institutional adoption and potentially unlock “extraordinary upside” for spot BTC holders.

Options on BTC ETFs are likely to launch in the United States by the first quarter of 2025, James Seyffart, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, said on Oct. 9 .

“Wild Schwab has this data & still hasn’t launched spot crypto ETFs,” Geraci said in an Oct. 10 X post .

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