News & Research

Four years after BlackRock and STOXX launched their multifactor ETF collaboration, investors have navigated inflation shocks, higher interest rates, sharp style rotations and growing market concentration.

As the global race to expand chip manufacturing capacity gathers pace, Germany’s DAX, MDAX and SDAX indices — usually more closely associated with industrial, automotive and software companies — are being lifted by a lesser-known corner of the country’s economy.

Thematic and sector ETFs are increasingly being used side by side as investors seek more precise ways to express investment views. In this special report with ETF Stream, STOXX explores the key differences between the two approaches and their evolving role in portfolio construction.

Assets invested in passive ETFs tracking equity indices from all providers rose 17.7% to EUR 14.2 trillion in the three months through June, boosted by share prices and inflows. Funds tracking a STOXX or DAX index increased assets by 12.9% over the period, with thematic and factor strategies recording inflows.

European equities have attracted growing inflows in recent quarters, as investors gravitate toward a region offering low valuations and strengthening economic momentum. In this interview with Asset TV, Jason Chen, Senior Portfolio Strategist at DWS Investment Management Americas, examines the key drivers behind that shift and the opportunities emerging across regional stocks.

ETFs tracking a STOXX or DAX European equity index received a net EUR 9.7 billion over the first quarter, or 36% of inflows in the segment. ETFs mirroring an equity index worldwide registered EUR 66.2 billion in net inflows last month even as markets tumbled, taking YTD inflows to EUR 318.2 billion.

Products such as the Leverage Shares 3x Tesla ETP Securities and Leverage Shares 3x NVIDIA ETP Securities, which track STOXX indices, continue to see high demand as tactical tools for traders and investment firms seeking exposure to rising equity markets.

Assets under management in STOXX-linked ETFs grew 51% in 2025 to EUR 189 billion, following EUR 35.1 billion in net investments. The growth was largely driven by renewed interest in European equities, a segment where STOXX and DAX ETFs captured 44.6% of net new flows.

In its third year of existence, the iShares EURO STOXX 50 ESG ETF offers exposure to a core Eurozone benchmark minus controversial business activities. Sophie Thurner, ETF Product Strategist at BlackRock, explains how the ESG ETF fits in investors’ portfolios and how its underlying index has adapted to evolving regulation.

The iShares Core Multifactor ETF suite was introduced in June 2022. We spoke with Priya Panse, CFA, lead strategist for BlackRock’s US Factor ETFs, to discuss what defines a modern, risk-controlled multifactor strategy.

The recognition comes in a year marked by multi-year-high inflows into European equity ETFs and a series of innovative launches from STOXX.

The new ETF reflects a hypothetical portfolio invested in the German benchmark that simultaneously sells a DAX at-the-money call option, generating additional income at the cost of capping stock gains.