As of Dec. 17, there were a record 276 new exchange-traded funds launched in 2020. This marks the fastest pace of new launch activity since the prior record was set in 2015. There are now 2,288 ETFs available to investors. Since SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) was launched in 1993, 3,291 ETFs have been brought to market. This means that about 30% of them have since been closed. In 2020, a record 179 ETFs shut down. Though there are plenty of choices on the ever-expanding menu, investors' tastes are basic. Of the 2,288 ETFs currently on offer, the top 100 as measured by assets under management accounted for 70% of the $5.5 trillion invested in ETFs at the middle of December. The top 100 are the Swiss Army knives of the ETF world. They are efficient multipurpose tools that do a lot of different jobs for a lot of different types of investors.