Since March, emerging-market ETFs posted net inflows of $3.35 billion, Kejal Vyas notes in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal Fund Track column, citing data from research group EPFR Global.

That's nearly three times as much as what went into traditional, actively managed funds. The numbers reflect the big bets institutional investors such as hedge funds are now placing on emerging-market index funds.

The ETFs mentioned in the article include iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund, up more than 40 percent since March 2, and Vanguard ETF Emerging Markets, up 35 percent. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 18 percent in that time period.

Among those quoted in the article are Michael Reynal, portfolio manager of Principal Global Investors' emerging-markets funds; Uri Landesman, head of global growth strategies at ING Asset Management; Hari Hariharan, chairman and CEO of hedge-fund firm NWI Management; and Nick Chamie, head of emerging-market research at RBC Dominion Securities. 

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