The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canada's exchange traded fund market heads into 2026 with strong investor demand reshaping portfolio building after a year of record inflows and new products. The Globe's guest columnist Daina Lawrence writes that data from National Bank Financial show that Canadian ETFs saw inflows of $125.4-billion last year, smashing the previous annual record of $76-billion set in 2024. Manufacturers launched 364 new products, another record, bringing the total to 1,792 ETFs in Canada. The number of ETF providers increased by four to 48. For National Bank analyst Linda Ma the noteworthy change beyond those numbers is where the demand is coming from. She says, "The growth rate of do-it-yourself investors has been so great that now there are more assets owned by DIY investors than advisers as a proportion of ETF assets in Canada." Several factors are driving this shift, including commission-free trading at discount brokerages, demographic changes and the increasing influence of social media on financial decisions. Ms. Ma says, "The latest survey by the [Ontario Securities Commission] suggests that 35 per cent of the respondents make financial decisions based on influencers."