There are 118 ETFs and ETNs on Deathwatch as the new year begins. Last decade we witnessed phenomenal growth in exchange-traded products (ETPs). There were just 32 at the start of the 2000s and 925 at the end, for an annualized growth rate of 40%. The number would have been even higher if not for the 124 product closures.

The next ten years will likely be marked by rapid growth again, although nowhere near the 40% growth of the past. Even if the growth rate of new products slows to only 10% this decade, that means we will be looking at 2,400 ETPs in 2019. My guess is the actual number will be higher.

By Dave Nadig

It’s one thing to love a product for its innovation, but another to blanket the world with that love without highlighting the real problems.