European investors rush to passive and increasingly active ETFs

This week we featured Broadridge’s annual research into investor appetites in Europe and found that cautious European investors ‘put the squeeze’ on asset managers over the last year. "A relatively risk-averse European climate was a boon to passive specialists. In many cases, this was at the expense of active specialists, although active ETFs are a growing niche – comprising approximately 5 per cent of Europe’s total ETF intake in 2023, the firm says."

"In a year that saw passive managers gain further momentum, Vanguard moves into the top-10 brand rankings, scoring highly as a key international player and for its solidity," says Barbara Wall, Director of Global Distribution Insights, Broadridge. "Fellow passive specialist iShares also moves up the league table from eighth place to sixth, unseating Robeco, although the Dutch active manager maintains pole position for its ESG credentials. The passive trend is further evidenced by the entry of Xtrackers into the top 50, with the firm’s range of sectoral and thematic ETFs proving popular with fund selectors."

ETF Express writer Fiona Nicolson took on Municipal Bonds this week, talking to Mackay Municipal Managers, who believes the sector will see growth in coming months, albeit mostly through the mutual fund offerings. "Other professionally managed solutions are available, such as passive, index-bound ETFs or buy-and-hold, laddered separately managed accounts, but in our opinion, the rigidity of their constrained investing approaches limits their efficacy," the firm says.

We have been busy working on the Special Report for our recent ETF Express European Awards and expect to publish that after the long weekend Easter break. We also have nominations open for our Canadian awards.

Please follow this link to place your nominations for Canadian ETF service providers.

Beverly Chandler, Managing Editor

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