A staggering US$11.7 trillion in assets globally are tracking indices joint-managed by Standard & Poor's and Dow Jones.
The number comes from S&P's annual survey, which tallies assets tracking all of its hundred-plus indices. The survey found more than $7.4 trillion is following benchmarked assets, while the other $4.2 trillion is locked up in ETPs and other kinds of investment vehicles.
A staggering $8.7 trillion in assets is benchmarked or indexed to the S&P 500, the world's most popular index as measured by assets under management (AUM).
The numbers, S&P says, show that its indexes are growing in popularity, with a 37% increase from the previous survey.
Smart beta indices, while currently a hot topic in investment circles and the press, are significantly less popular overall, with around $184 billion in total assets tracking them. This compared with more than $1 trillion tied up in ETPs.
