Charles Schwab said assets in its exchange-traded funds rose 16% since last year’s first quarter as flows into its biggest funds jumped. Schwab, which manages 33 ETFs, said in an April 17 statement that assets in its proprietary ETFs jumped to $398.2 billion from $342.9 billion at the end of last year’s first quarter. Since the previous quarter ended, assets inched up 1% from $395 billion, the company said. Assets gained year over year as broad equity indexes jumped, with the S&P 500 notching a 25% total return last year. Inflows slowed as markets dropped this year, however, as fears of recession and inflation sparked by President Donald Trump’s trade war have pushed the S&P 500 10% lower so far in 2025. Investors were met with “an increasingly uncertain environment” in the first quarter, Schwab Chief Executive Officer Rick Wurster said. As markets tumbled in the first quarter and investors moved money into safer investments, Schwab’s largest ETF, the $64.9 billion Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD), pulled in $3.8 billion. That fund pulled in $12.1 billion since last year’s first quarter. It includes companies with 10-year histories of paying dividends, which are widely considered safer investments.