In a true test of David versus Goliath, the mutual fund industry is withering as newer and more nimble ETFs are continuing to gain market share. It is no wonder as the idea of a 4pm trade time in a market that is volatile beyond measure has most investors looking for alternatives.

Just released from TrimTabs

TrimTabs Estimates All Equity Mutual Funds Post Outflow of $13.3 Billion in Week Ended Wednesday, January 14

Sausalito, CA January 15, 2009 TrimTabs Investment Research estimates that all equity mutual funds posted an outflow of $13.3 billion in the week ended Wednesday, January 14, versus an inflow of $6.4 billion in the previous week.

Equity funds that invest primarily in U.S. stocks posted an outflow of $8.7 billion, versus an inflow of $5.8 billion in the previous week. Equity funds that invest primarily in non-U.S. stocks had an outflow of $4.5 billion, versus an inflow of $613 million in the previous week. In addition, bond funds had an inflow of $3.9 billion, versus an inflow of $5.5 billion in the previous week, and hybrid funds had an inflow of $1.2 billion versus an inflow of $1.7 billion in the previous week.

Seperately, TrimTabs reports that exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that invest in U.S. stocks posted an outflow of $6.3 billion, versus an inflow of $909 million in the previous week. ETFs that invest in non-U.S. stocks had an inflow of $450 million, versus an inflow of $1.8 billion in the previous week.

More about the future of the mutual fund business here: Report: 1Q Economic Commentary and Outlook (Free!)