Investment strategies

“Just because someone’s charging 1% doesn’t mean you should take them off your list,” an expert says.

As liquidity disappeared amid the coronavirus-sparked mayhem, veteran fixed-income portfolio manager Gemma Wright-Casparius saw opportunities.

Fixed-income ETFs — for the most part — passed their first big test, but it was a roller-coaster ride along the way.

The pandemic has sealed the fate of small, niche offerings that have failed to gain traction.

The purchase comes as active asset managers feel intensifying pressure to bulk up as they face stiff competition from passive and index-tracking funds.

The demand is there but it isn’t easy to pull off, according to one custodian that’s already done it.

Brokers and fund managers are turning to innovation to remain competitive and capture new customers.

Many of the executives selected this year say the industry’s future may lie in its sudden change to a fully virtual business model.

Funds advised by Katie Koch, whose firm has about $1.8 trillion under supervision, are beating their benchmarks at an 80% rate in 2020.

With few corners of the fixed-income industry safe from harm, investors’ faith in managers appears to be intact — for now.