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In 2025, stock markets in the United States accounted for roughly ** percent of world stocks. The next largest country by stock market share was China, followed by the European Union as a whole. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the NASDAQ are the largest stock exchange operators worldwide. What is a stock exchange? The first modern publicly traded company was the Dutch East Industry Company, which sold shares to the general public to fund expeditions to Asia. Since then, groups of companies have formed exchanges in which brokers and dealers can come together and make transactions in one space. Stock market indices group companies trading on a given exchange, giving an idea of how they evolve in real time. Appeal of stock ownership Over half of adults in the United States are investing money in the stock market. Stocks are an attractive investment because the possible return is higher than offered by other financial instruments.

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Mutual Funds Market Size 2025-2029

The mutual funds market size is valued to increase USD 85.5 trillion, at a CAGR of 9.9% from 2024 to 2029. Market liquidity will drive the mutual funds market.

Major Market Trends & Insights

North America dominated the market and accounted for a 52% growth during the forecast period.
By Type - Stock funds segment was valued at USD 50.80 trillion in 2023
By Distribution Channel - Advice channel segment accounted for the largest market revenue share in 2023

Market Size & Forecast

Market Opportunities: USD 151.38 trillion
Market Future Opportunities: USD 85.50 trillion
CAGR : 9.9%
North America: Largest market in 2023

Market Summary

The market represents a dynamic and ever-evolving financial landscape, characterized by continuous growth and innovation. With core technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning increasingly shaping investment strategies, mutual funds have become a preferred choice for individual and institutional investors alike. According to recent reports, mutual fund assets under management globally reached an impressive 61.8 trillion USD as of 2021, underscoring the market's substantial size and influence. However, the market is not without challenges. Transaction risks, regulatory compliance, and competition from alternative investment vehicles remain significant hurdles.
Despite these challenges, opportunities abound, particularly in developing nations where mutual fund adoption rates have been on the rise. For instance, mutual fund assets in Asia Pacific grew by 15.3% in 2020, outpacing the global average. As market liquidity continues to improve and regulatory frameworks evolve, the market is poised for further expansion and transformation.

What will be the Size of the Mutual Funds Market during the forecast period?

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How is the Mutual Funds Market Segmented and what are the key trends of market segmentation?

The mutual funds industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD trillion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Type

  Stock funds
  Bond funds
  Money market funds
  Hybrid funds


Distribution Channel

  Advice channel
  Retirement plan channel
  Institutional channel
  Direct channel
  Supermarket channel


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    France
    Germany
    Italy
    Spain
    UK


  APAC

    Australia
    China
    India


  Rest of World (ROW)

By Type Insights

The stock funds segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

Mutual funds, specifically those investing in stocks, constitute a significant segment of the financial market. These funds exhibit diverse characteristics, catering to various investor preferences. For instance, growth funds prioritize stocks with high growth potential, while income funds focus on securities yielding regular dividends. Index funds mirror a specific market index, such as the S&P 500, and sector funds zero in on a particular industry sector. Share classes within mutual funds differ based on the share of investment. For example, large-cap funds allocate a minimum of 80% of their assets to large-cap companies, which represent the top 100 firms in terms of market capitalization.

Investors can opt for dividend reinvestment plans, enabling them to reinvest their dividends to maximize returns. Tax-efficient investing strategies, such as tax-loss harvesting, help minimize tax liabilities. Bond fund yields and currency exchange risk are essential considerations for investors in bond funds. Risk management strategies, including diversification and asset allocation models, play a crucial role in mitigating potential losses. Fund manager expertise and regulatory compliance frameworks are essential factors for investors. Hedge fund strategies, financial statement audits, actively managed funds, and passive investment strategies all contribute to the evolving mutual fund landscape. Expense ratios, asset allocation models, capital gains distributions, and portfolio rebalancing techniques are essential metrics for evaluating mutual fund performance.

Inflation-adjusted returns and equity fund volatility are crucial for long-term investment planning. Alternative investment funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer additional investment opportunities, with global diversification benefits and passive investment strategies gaining popularity. Nav calculation methods and passive investment strategies further broaden the scope of mutual fund investments. According to recent studies, stock mutual fund adoption stands at 35%, with expectations of a 21% increase in industry participation over the next five years. Meanwhil

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As of 2024, there were roughly over 1,000 equity long/short hedge funds operating worldwide. These are hedge funds that take both long and short positions in investments. While multi-strategy hedge funds were among the top performers by net annualized return, these hedge fund types formed a lower portion of the hedge fund pool, with 180 being operational in 2024. Growth of the hedge fund industry The hedge fund industry has experienced steady growth since its boom in the 1990s. Despite facing setbacks including that of the 2008 fiscal crisis, the industry has rebounded, managing assets valued at over five trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. This continued success has been partly due to the industry's resilience and adaptability, adjusting investment strategies and portfolio holdings to changing market dynamics. How do different fund strategies impact performance? Hedge fund performance can vary considerably depending on the investment strategy adopted. Those following a multi-strategy approach achieved the highest net performance over one-, three-, and five-year periods. This strategy allocates funds across multiple sub-strategies and asset classes, resulting in highly diverse portfolios with a one-year median net performance exceeding 11 percent in 2024. Conversely, arbitrage strategies, which leverage mispricing in equity shares to generate maximum returns, delivered the second-lowest net returns over a one-year period in 2024.

In 2025, ** percent of adults in the United States invested in the stock market. This figure has remained steady over the last few years and is still below the levels before the Great Recession, when it peaked in 2007 at ** percent. What is the stock market? The stock market can be defined as a group of stock exchanges where investors can buy shares in a publicly traded company. In more recent years, it is estimated an increasing number of Americans are using neobrokers, making stock trading more accessible to investors. Other investments A significant number of people think stocks and bonds are the safest investments, while others point to real estate, gold, bonds, or a savings account. Since witnessing the significant one-day losses in the stock market during the financial crisis, many investors were turning towards these alternatives in hopes for more stability, particularly for investments with longer maturities. This could explain the decrease in this statistic since 2007. Nevertheless, some speculators enjoy chasing the short-run fluctuations, and others see value in choosing particular stocks.

The total global net assets of mutual funds registered in the United States amounted to approximately 28.54 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024, compared to around 5.53 trillion U.S. dollars in 1998. Mutual funds: additional information Mutual funds are investment funds in which the capital is pooled from several investors and then used to buy securities such as stocks, bonds, or money market instruments. Although investing in mutual funds rather than direct investment in individual securities still presents a certain degree of risk, it has become more and more common practice around the world. One of the biggest advantages of this type of investment is the fact that the fund assets are managed by professionals. They aim to eliminate some risk involved in investing in individual stocks and bonds through diversification of assets. As of 2024, there were almost 7,038 mutual funds domiciled in the United States. There are four main types of mutual funds, categorized by the nature of their principal investments, namely: stock or equity funds (whether domestic or international), bond or fixed income funds, money market funds, and hybrid funds. In 2023, domestic equity funds were the most popular category in the United States, representing 46 percent of all mutual fund and ETF assets.

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As of August 15, 2025, the largest mutual fund in the world was the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund, listed under the ticker VTSAX, which had an astonishing **** trillion U.S. dollars of net assets under management (AUM). However, it should be noted that this investment fund has been divided into multiple distinct products, not all of which are sold as mutual funds. Some shares in the fund are sold as an exchange traded, meaning it could be argued that, strictly speaking, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund in its totality cannot be classed as a mutual fund. A similar situation holds for several other investment funds included in this statistic. An ETF is a basket of shares (or other financial assets) which generally tracks an underlying index. They are similar to mutual funds, with the fundamental difference that ETFs are listed on stock exchanges, with ETF shares being traded just like regular stock.

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Workers’ compensation and other insurance funds businesses have experienced significant changes in recent years, largely driven by economic fluctuations and shifts in investment income. The crash of the US economy in 2020 due to pandemic-related restrictions placed immense pressure on the industry. Business formation plunged and unemployment soared, resulting in a diminished customer base for insurance funds and a steep drop in revenue. Regardless, the Federal Reserve's injection of liquidity into the financial system propelled stock prices upward, boosting investment income for insurance providers. This increase in investment income provided some relief for providers, enabling them to cover expenses and sustain profits despite revenue losses. The relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions spurred economic recovery in 2021, driving unemployment down and corporate profit up. This positive economic climate increased demand for insurance services and enhanced investment income due to robust stock market conditions. However, since 2022, inflation has wreaked havoc, causing businesses and organizations to slash investments in insurance funds amid soaring prices. More recently, rising interest rates have reduced downstream demand due to the emergence of recessionary fears, but revenue and profit have expanded because of growing returns on fixed-income products. Overall, revenue for workers’ compensation and other insurance funds has inched downward at a CAGR of 0.2% over the past five years, reaching $56.6 billion in 2025. This includes a 0.5% rise in revenue in that year. Looking ahead, providers are poised for moderate growth over the next five years. As the US economy stabilizes, with solid GDP growth and potential increases in business formation and employment, the customer base for insurance funds is likely to expand. These favorable economic conditions should bolster consumer confidence and investment in the stock market, leading to greater investment income for the industry. Nonetheless, larger players are expected to dominate, given their ability to invest in cutting-edge technologies like AI for predicting claim risks and optimizing business operations. Smaller providers may face intensified internal competition, prompting some to exit the market, while others could focus on niche offerings or invest in technological advancements to remain viable and competitive. Overall, revenue for workers’ compensation and other insurance funds is expected to expand at a CAGR of 1.3% over the next five years, reaching $60.3 billion in 2030.

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Trading conditions have been challenging for fund managers, as fierce competition has resulted in cost-cutting initiatives. In particular, actively managed funds have suffered from a substantial reduction in management fees. The ongoing price war in passive investment in the exchange traded funds (ETFs) market has exerted additional downwards pressure on margins. The COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, inflationary pressures and elevated interest rates led to significant uncertainty and volatility in financial markets. This has negatively influenced the valuation of some securities, resulting in slumps in AUM and higher withdrawal requests. Overall, fund management services revenue is expected to weaken at an annualised 1.9% over the five years through 2024-25 to total $12.1 billion. This includes an anticipated hike of 4.7% in 2024-25, The rise of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and thematic investing has strongly influenced funds management revenue in recent years. Investors are increasingly looking to invest in funds that align with their social and sustainability goals, prompting fund managers to launch new funds and offer methods like custom indexing to meet demand. This trend has opened the door for fund management companies to carve out market niches. Products like ESG funds and custom indexing also come with higher management fees, offsetting margin declines from mounting competitive pressures. Profit margins are on track to climb thanks to increased investment in ESG that will support growth in funds management services. Fund management companies are set to allocate more resources to ensure compliance with sustainability claims amid the growing regulatory crackdown on greenwashing. The launch of the first-ever set of global sustainability reporting standards in 2024 standardised ESG-related disclosures and enhanced the credibility of sustainable funds. Emerging technologies like tokenisation and quantum computing, combined with the potential managed investment scheme reform in Australia, will revolutionise funds management in the coming years. These new forces and trends are why fund management revenue is forecast to expand at an annualised 2.9% through the end of 2029-30, to $14.0 billion.

This ranking presents the largest providers of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the United States as of August 18, 2025, by assets under management (AUM). At that time, BlackRock was the ******* ETFs provider, with managed assets amounting to approximately *****trillion U.S. dollars. What is an exchange traded fund? An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is a type of fund that owns assets whose ownership is divided into shares. An ETF trades like common stock on a stock exchange. Its forerunners were mutual and index funds. ETFs typically have lower fees than mutual funds and can be bought and sold throughout the day. The number of ETFs worldwide grew tremendously since 2005, rising from *** in 2005 to over ****** in 2023. Global ETF growth Most of the growth regarding ETFs has occurred in North America, with Europe and the rest of the world taking longer to catch on. ETF assets in North America totaled around **** trillion U.S. dollars, and in the United States there were ***** main providers of ETFs: BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street.