Except for Japan, the growth in ETF assets is looking a little stale compared to the rest of the world. But on the plus side, U.S. investors still enjoy some of the best bargains to be found.

At least that’s what a new Barclays Global Investors study reveals. The research team led by Deborah Fuhr found that total U.S. assets in the ETF market hit an all-time high of $582 billion at the end of the second quarter, its highest mark since December 2007.

Interestingly, however, the number of U.S. ETFs, pegged at 706 from some 22 providers on three exchanges, is smaller than its European counterparts, which account for 753 ETFs for assets estimated at $183 billion.

According to Barclays, U.S. ETF assets have risen by more than 17 percent on the year – which is more than the 10 percent rise seen in the MSCI U.S. Index in dollar terms in

SINCE SEPTEMBER, DEBORAH FUHR has occupied one of the loftiest perches in the world of exchange-traded funds.

As managing director and global head of ETF research at Barclays Global Investors, one of the world’s leading ETF shops, she is considered one of the top analysts in her field.

She talked with Barrons.com by phone recently about her industry and which ETFs are sparking investor interest these days.

Q: You joined Barclay’s last September, around the time that the financial world as we know it changed. What has it been like in the industry during this period?

Deborah Fuhr: It is kind of funny because the day I started was the day that Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. That actually turned out to be a thing that helped the ETF business because, prior to that, many people just assumed if they bought products

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BGI taps longtime Smith Barney executive Longley for key role in expanding asset manager’s distribution reach. 

As bloggers across the Internet were talking up a potential sale of exchange-traded funds leader Barclays Global Investors, some real news was taking place at the San Francisco-based asset management giant. 

The $1.5 trillion asset manager said on Thursday it had hired longtime Citi/Smith Barney executive John Longley as its new head of national accounts in the U.S.

In that role,

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The veteran ETF analyst says new job with BGI will give her even more resources to track such an expanding and complex marketplace. 

Barclays Global Investors caught the attention of the market last week with its hiring of Deborah Fuhr, arguably the most well-known among analysts tracking global exchange- traded funds markets.

The former Morgan Stanley strategist announced September 7 that she's moving from one of the world's largest brokerages to Barclays Global Investors, the ETF industry's biggest player. (See related story.)

Fuhr started her new job this week as BGI's global head of ETFs research and implementation strategy. Even though she has been busy  assembling a new staff and preparing for her new position, Fuhr took time out from her busy schedule recently to talk to IndexUniverse.com's Eric Rosenbaum about the move to BGI and its implications.

IndexUniverse.com (IU): Will you be moving to BGI's headquarters in San