Assets invested in US-listed exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products reached an all-time high of over $1.3 trillion at the end of 2012, as investors looked to safeguard against continuing economic uncertainty in the region.

The amount of assets invested in US ETF and ETPs increased by 27.1% to $1.35 trillion at the end of 2012, with $187.2bn of net new assets invested during the year, according to research published today by consultancy firm ETFGI.