Small Cap Growth Takes the Lead Amid Robust Inflows

Share

Weekly Channel Summary

The U.S. Size & Style ETF channel continues to show massive scale, with total Assets Under Management (AUM) reaching $7,366 billion across 938 ETFs and 260 issuers as of January 16, 2026. The past week saw a healthy injection of capital, with net inflows totaling $14.27 billion. This activity contributes to a year-to-date (YTD) flow of $18.64 billion, maintaining the strong momentum seen over the past year, which has recorded a substantial $560.35 billion in net new money.

This Week’s Performance Leaders and Laggards

Small-cap strategies dominated the performance leaderboard this week, with the U.S. Small Cap – Growth category leading the way with a 1.45% Week-to-Date (WTD) return. This strong weekly showing further solidifies its position as the top-performing category year-to-date, boasting a return of 6.64%. Conversely, the U.S. Large Cap – Growth category served as the primary laggard, declining -0.60% for the week, though it remains up 1.44% for the year.

Category Performance Snapshot

Category WTD 1 Month 3 Month 6 Month YTD 1 Year
U.S. Small Cap – Growth 1.45% 5.31% 7.42% 16.07% 6.64% 13.39%
U.S. Small Cap – Value 1.36% 4.94% 10.72% 15.82% 6.51% 11.29%
U.S. Small Cap – Blend 1.28% 4.62% 8.49% 14.75% 6.10% 12.53%
U.S. Mid Cap – Growth 1.24% 5.25% 4.22% 9.75% 5.68% 10.38%
U.S. Mid Cap – Blend 1.15% 4.94% 8.13% 12.45% 5.56% 11.08%
U.S. Mid Cap – Value 0.71% 4.20% 9.02% 11.95% 5.09% 10.38%
U.S. Large Cap – Value 0.47% 3.48% 7.60% 11.62% 3.39% 14.70%
U.S. Large Cap – Blend -0.02% 2.77% 5.27% 10.69% 2.35% 15.05%
U.S. Large Cap – Growth -0.60% 2.26% 2.59% 9.61% 1.44% 16.56%

Top & Bottom ETFs by Weekly Performance

Across the market cap spectrum, individual fund performance varied significantly. In the large-cap space, the Roundhill Meme Stock ETF (MEME) surged 6.24%, while the Dana Unconstrained Equity ETF (DUNK) fell -4.41%. Mid-cap leaders were headlined by the Fundstrat Granny Shots US Small- & Mid-Cap ETF (GRNJ) with a 4.40% gain, contrasted by the Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NUMG) at -2.09%. Small-cap performance was anchored by the Invesco S&P SmallCap High Dividend Low Volatility ETF (XSHD), which rose 3.72%, while the Motley Fool Small-Cap Growth ETF (TMFS) trailed with a -1.93% return.

Large Cap Performance

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
MEME Roundhill Meme Stock ETF 6.24%
QMOM Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Momentum ETF 3.79%
DARP Grizzle Growth ETF 3.23%
ABLD Abacus FCF Real Assets Leaders ETF 3.22%
FMTM Market Desk Focused U.S. Momentum ETF 3.07%
Bottom Performers
DUNK Dana Unconstrained Equity ETF -4.41%
AKRE Akre Focus ETF -3.97%
ABOT Abacus FCF Innovation Leaders ETF -3.66%
PCLG Polen Focus Growth ETF -2.92%
SEMG Suncoast Select Growth ETF -2.66%

Mid Cap Performance

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
GRNJ Fundstrat Granny Shots US Small- & Mid-Cap ETF 4.40%
CBSE Clough Select Equity ETF 3.53%
CSMD Congress SMid Growth ETF 3.20%
TSME Thrivent Small-Mid Cap Equity ETF 3.14%
GLRY Inspire Growth ETF 3.01%
Bottom Performers
NUMG Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Growth ETF -2.09%
TMFM Motley Fool Mid-Cap Growth ETF -1.77%
QQJG Invesco ESG NASDAQ Next Gen 100 ETF -1.01%
CCFE Concourse Capital Focused Equity ETF -0.86%
SMOT VanEck Morningstar SMID Moat ETF -0.51%

Small Cap Performance

Ticker Fund Name WTD Performance
Top Performers
XSHD Invesco S&P SmallCap High Dividend Low Volatility ETF 3.72%
XSMO Invesco S&P SmallCap Momentum ETF 3.26%
EPSV Harbor SMID Cap Value ETF 2.99%
IWC iShares Micro-Cap ETF 2.91%
OSCV Opus Small Cap Value ETF 2.88%
Bottom Performers
TMFS Motley Fool Small-Cap Growth ETF -1.93%
CALF Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows ETF -1.48%
SFLO VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF -1.44%
SCOW Pacer S&P SmallCap 600 Quality FCF Aristocrats ETF -1.15%
NIXT Research Affiliates Deletions ETF -0.73%

Analyzing the Weekly Flows

The channel attracted $14.27 billion in total net flow this week, primarily driven by the U.S. Large Cap – Blend category, which gathered $15,095 million and now holds $4,126.0 billion in total assets. Significant inflows were also noted in U.S. Large Cap – Growth ($5,532 million). On the other hand, the U.S. Large Cap – Value category experienced the largest outflows of the week, totaling -$4,755 million.

Category Flows Summary

Category Fund Count AUM 5 Day 30 Day 90 Day YTD 1 Year
U.S. Large Cap – Blend 346 $4,126.0B $15,095M $65,260M $155,156M $22,745M $351,026M
U.S. Large Cap – Growth 158 $1,267.7B $5,532M $468M $34,902M $1,832M $117,710M
U.S. Mid Cap – Blend 68 $386.8B $391M $1,147M $8,499M $350M $25,947M
U.S. Mid Cap – Value 23 $81.5B $50M $39M $1,614M $100M $2,186M
U.S. Mid Cap – Growth 23 $61.5B $46M $504M $1,341M $74M $2,821M
U.S. Small Cap – Value 36 $104.8B ($450M) ($896M) $692M ($113M) ($2,420M)
U.S. Small Cap – Blend 65 $347.5B ($778M) ($4,365M) $5,805M ($2,656M) ($4,008M)
U.S. Small Cap – Growth 18 $53.6B ($867M) ($893M) ($100M) ($684M) ($1,903M)
U.S. Large Cap – Value 195 $936.4B ($4,755M) $3,091M $25,692M ($3,081M) $68,898M

Top & Bottom ETFs by 5-Day Flow

In the large-cap tier, the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) led inflows with $3,717 million, while the iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) saw the largest redemption at -$1,788 million. Mid-cap flows were topped by the Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO) at $251 million, with the iShares Russell Midcap ETF (IWR) losing -$170 million. For small-caps, the Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (AVUV) pulled in $197 million, whereas the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) recorded -$697 million in outflows.

Large Cap Flows

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
IVV iShares Core S&P 500 ETF $3,717M
RSP Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF $2,861M
VUG Vanguard Growth ETF $2,343M
SPYM State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF $1,754M
SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust $1,723M
Outflows
IWD iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF ($1,788M)
IWF iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF ($1,091M)
CGDV Capital Group Dividend Value ETF ($1,024M)
DIA SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust ($962M)
VLUE iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF ($698M)

Mid Cap Flows

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
VO Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF $251M
CGMM Capital Group U.S. Small and Mid Cap ETF $198M
FMDE Fidelity Enhanced Mid Cap ETF $105M
SPMD State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 400 Mid Cap ETF $74M
TMSL T. Rowe Price Small-Mid Cap ETF $73M
Outflows
IWR iShares Russell Midcap ETF ($170M)
MDY SPDR S&P Midcap 400 ETF Trust ($142M)
SMMD iShares Russell 2500 ETF ($51M)
IJK iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Growth ETF ($46M)
IWS iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF ($44M)

Small Cap Flows

Ticker Fund Name 5-Day Flow
Inflows
AVUV Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF $197M
VB Vanguard Small-Cap ETF $104M
SVAL iShares US Small Cap Value Factor ETF $97M
FSML Franklin Small Cap Enhanced ETF $97M
FESM Fidelity Enhanced Small Cap ETF $64M
Outflows
VBK Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF ($697M)
VTWO Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF ($653M)
VBR Vanguard Small Cap Value ETF ($613M)
IWM iShares Russell 2000 ETF ($571M)
IWO iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF ($242M)

Issuer League Table Update

Vanguard and iShares remain the dominant players in the space, commanding 34.17% and 27.47% of the market share, respectively. This week, Vanguard led all issuers with $4,035 million in net inflows. Among the top brands, Capital Group experienced the most significant weekly outflows, totaling -$739 million.

Top 5 Issuers by AUM

Brand Fund Count AUM AUM Market Share
Vanguard 41 $2,516.67B 34.17%
iShares 81 $2,023.73B 27.47%
SPDR 30 $1,064.83B 14.46%
Invesco 69 $696.35B 9.45%
Schwab 12 $320.36B 4.35%

Top & Bottom 3 Issuers by 5-Day Flow

Brand 5-Day Flow
Inflows
Vanguard $4,035M
Invesco $3,795M
SPDR $2,393M
Outflows
Capital Group ($739M)
Akre ($361M)
Pacer ($162M)

For a deeper dive into these trends, access our FREE, in-depth ETF reports in the right side panel of this page.

Disclosures

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice. All investments, including ETFs, involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. Investors should consider their investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing.

This analysis was developed by the team at ETF Action. We leverage advanced AI tools to assist in the drafting and refinement of our content, based on our expert prompts, direction, and final review.