More Asset Managers Looking to Join ETF Game

More asset managers are learning, never say never.

Even with the markets in turmoil, the current $580 billion in assets in exchange-traded funds keep building. As so does the interest of large asset managers in entering the business, Dow Jones reports.

Northern Trust and PIMCO are two of the latest entrants, and more companies are expected to follow suit, particularly with actively managed ETFs.

“We are definitely seeing other large fund complexes in some stage of thinking about it,” said John McGuire, an investment management attorney. “Some are asking preliminary questions about the ETF market. Others have applications that are in draft and that will be filed” with regulators.

“There’s a lot of interest by fund [companies] to get into the active ETF business,” agreed James Pacetti, president of ETF International Associates, a consulting firm.

Should PIMCO succeed in launching the active ETFs it is planning, said Matt Hougan, editor of indexuniverse.com, “all the other players will see that ETFs are a threat to their business.”