ETFs

While Guinness Atkinson pursues the first full mutual fund-to-ETF conversion, similar moves have begun elsewhere in the fund industry.

The fund industry's latest arrivals underline the seismic shifts underway in the business of asset management.

If clients “looked just three months ago, these numbers would be glaringly different,” an expert says.

The funds have recorded $248 billion in net inflows in 2020, up about 5% from this time last year.

The 20 top-performers have generated gains well over 50% in the first seven months of the year.

A combination of GLD’s higher fees and an almost relentless demand for the yellow metal have catapulted it from fourth on the revenue leader board in 2017.

Trading under the ticker EFIV, the fund will exclude companies involved with tobacco-related products and weapons.

An iShares ETF investing in companies it says has “positive environmental, social and governance characteristics” has more than tripled gains of the S&P 500.

If approved, the firm would be able to issue its own ETFs, although they haven’t registered any individual funds yet.

There has been increased demand for havens amid a resurgence in coronavirus cases, flaring political tensions and a weaker dollar.

“No one could have envisioned what this virus was going to do to the commercial real estate space,” an expert says.

Using machine-learning algorithms, the firm's $106 billion systematic active equity group researches social media pages and online job postings to build portfolios.

Investors may be put off by the costs associated with these funds, which had an average expense ratio of more than triple their peers.

A “distribution bump” from the commission-free trading trend that took hold late last year may be behind the surge, analysts say.

Some of the industry’s biggest players are taking a wait-and-see approach as active, non-transparent funds take their crucial first steps.

The central bank is now the third largest holder of the $54 billion iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD).

As more active strategies embrace the exchange-traded model, the landscape may be shifting.

Cboe’s first new entry will be a suite of four volatility indexes with different tenors based on the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF.

As much as 86% of investors in a recent survey say they would prefer prefabricated fund packages, as long as they were properly spelled out by advisors.

All of the funds in the suite carry a 0.18% expense ratio.