Institutional Investor (May 27)
Current trends seem to indicate “that investment managers are increasingly prioritizing flexible, innovative product solutions – particularly in ETFs, private assets, and SMAs – as traditional offerings lose their dominance. Considering the current challenging macro environment – inflation, high interest rates, and geopolitical/trade conflicts – we will be keen to observe whether these shifts in investor product preferences endure or lose their gusto in the face of wideswept market challenges.”
Tags: ETFs, Flexible, Geopolitical, Inflation, Innovative, Interest rates, Investment managers, Macro environment, Market challenges, Prioritizing, Private assets, SMAs, Trade conflicts, Traditional offerings, Trends
Bloomberg (December 4)
President Yoon’s short-lived imposition of martial law “sparked chaos… sending the won and South Korea-related exchange-traded funds sharply lower overnight. While extreme jitters dissipated as financial authorities swiftly vowed to provide ‘unlimited liquidity,’ damage has been done to investor perception of South Korea’s financial markets.” The episode is “a setback to the nation’s ongoing push for upgrades to developed market status in global indexes.”
Tags: Chaos, Damage, ETFs, Financial authorities, Financial markets, Global indexes, Investor perception, Jitters, Martial law, South Korea, Status, Unlimited liquidity, Won, Yoon
Investment Week (April 13)
“2021 was a stand-out year for environmental finance, as COP26, a new US administration, and rapid growth in industry collaboration drove climate action and commitments across businesses and the asset management industry.” Morningstar found that “the number of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with a climate-focused mandate grew to 860 at the end of last year… and assets in the space doubled to $408bn.”
Tags: 2021, Asset management, Assets, Businesses, Climate action, Collaboration, Commitments, COP26, Environmental finance, ETFs, Mandate, Morningstar, Mutual funds, Rapid growth, Stand-out, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (December 8)
“The S&P 500 is having its best run in six years, but individual investors are fleeing stock funds at the fastest pace in decades…. Investors have pulled $135.5 billion from U.S. stock-focused mutual funds and exchange-traded funds so far this year, the biggest withdrawals on record.” And, surprisingly, this may be a good sign for the stock market. The outflows show “investors aren’t chasing the stock market’s strong performance…. This suggests major indexes like the S&P 500 still have plenty of room to run after a decadelong rally.”
Tags: ETFs, Fleeing, Investors, Mutual funds, Outflows, Stock funds, U.S., Withdrawals
Institutional Investor (April 3)
“Hedge funds are in danger of losing a battle with low-cost exchange-traded funds.” According to a recent study comparing hedge funds with similar ETFs, “The results were mostly bad news for hedge funds. Two of the largest ETFs in each sector outperformed their respective hedge fund index counterparts. Hedge funds did, however, provide a smoother ride for investors.”
Tags: Danger, ETFs, Hedge funds, Index, Investors, Losing battle, Results, Sector
Wall Street Journal (November 5)
“A wave of stock-picking firms are stepping up their fight against cheap exchange-traded and index funds with new offerings that dial back fees if they can’t beat the market.”
Bloomberg (July 18)
“The growing focus on the risks associated with the BOJ’s monetary stimulus program—which includes enormous asset purchases, particularly of Japanese government bonds, as well as negative interest rates and yield curve control—comes as its inflation target remains elusive. With no end to its program in sight, the BOJ is under increasing pressure to mitigate risks and explain its thinking about an eventual exit.” Bloomberg calculated that the BOJ already owns over 70 percent of all shares in Japan-listed ETFs and could soon own most of the free float in companies like Fast Retailing.0000000000000
Tags: Asset purchases, BOJ, ETFs, Fast Retailing, Free float, Inflation, Japan, JGBs, Monetary stimulus, Negative interest rates, Risks, Yield curve control
Institutional Investor (October Issue)
“Atsushi Saito has reinvigorated the Japanese exchange world with a merger and a technology overhaul. Now comes the hard part: winning back market share in Asia.” Following the merger of the Tokyo and Osaka exchanges, the Japan Exchange Group ranks third behind only the NYSE Euronext and Nasdaq OMX. “JPX now controls more than 90 percent of all equity-and derivatives-trading volume in Japan.” Yet, “despite its lead in listed companies, JPX trails in foreign listings. It’s also weak in terms of options, futures contracts and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), compared with the big U.S. exchanges”
Tags: Asia, Atsushi Saito, Derivatives, Equities, ETFs, Futures, IT, Japan, JPX, Market share, Merger, Nasdaq OMX, NYSE Euronext, Options, Osaka, Tokyo, Trading volume, U.S.
