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NEWSLETTER | 26 Mar 2021

New 'quarterback' joins the ETF team at fund giant Dimensional

Nicole Hunter has a long pedigree in ETFs and has recently arrived at USD601 billion fund giant Dimensional Fund Advisors to build the capital markets’ support of their new range of ETFs. In our interview, she details why her role in the ETF team is similar to the quarterback position in American football and expresses her excitement at how she feels the US ETF industry is developing.

Fear is stalking the investor again, particularly in the US, with high valuations and fear of inflation driving investors back to value and downside protection. We have interviews with Pacer’s Sean O’Hara who reports that the firm’s small cap ETF CALF is seeing a return to popularity, doubling its assets in February, and Harvest Volatility Management’s Garrett Paolella whose Nationwide Risk-Managed Income ETF, NUSI has also enjoyed significant inflows over recent months.

BNY Mellon Investment Management’s Stephanie Pierce and Newton Investment Management’s Julian Lyne are also here, celebrating their filing for a new range of active sustainable ETFs. The sustainable and ESG sector is still the place to be, with ESG-specialist Candriam’s results revealing assets have increased to EUR140 billion year on year.

And we have two reports this week: Bloomberg Intelligence reports that thematic assets are set to hit over USD300 billion in assets in five years, while consultancy and recruitment firms, Blackwater and FLX Distribution have conducted a study into how all that money gets raised for ETFs. Things are going to change, they say, as the Covid pandemic leaves its lasting effect on the ETF distribution model.

We also have a podcast this week, an interview with Bill Herrmann, co-founder and managing partner at new ETF issuer, Wilshire Phoenix, on the launch of their first ETF, WGLD, a gold ETF with a difference.

Finally, ETF Express is very pleased to announce our media partnership with a new ETF event, Exchange, backed by a team of ETF industry veterans, and due to launch in Miami next February. We can’t wait to be there. Literally.

Next week is the UK’s Easter weekend break so our next newsletter will be 9 April but do keep checking our front page for updates and features until that time.

Beverly Chandler
Managing Editor, ETF Express

Companies in this issue
Blackwater Search & Advisory
Bloomberg Intelligence
BNY Mellon Investment Management
Candriam
CI GAM
Dimensional Fund Advisors
Exchange
FLX Distribution
Harvest Volatility Management
Invesco
Leverage Shares
Newton Investment Management
Pacer ETFs
Wilshire Phoenix

ETF industry veterans launch ETF-focused conference Exchange, an ETF-focused conference

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

A core group of six executives who collectively have spent the bulk of the past 15 years leading ETF industry innovations around education, news-gathering and distribution, and in-person as well as digital events, have joined forces to launch Exchange, an ETF-focused conference.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

ETFGI, a specialist independent research and consultancy firm covering trends in the global ETFs and ETPs ecosystem, has reported that assets invested in Thematic ETFs and ETPs listed globally reached a record USD394 billion at the end of February 2021.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

ETFGI, a specialist independent research and consultancy firm covering trends in the global ETFs and ETPs ecosystem, has reported that assets invested in ESG ETFs and ETPs listed globally reached a record USD226.75 billion at the end of February.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

New research from ETF provider GraniteShares, which offers a range of 3x short and 3x leveraged ETPs on popular UK and US stocks, shows the Coronavirus crisis is inspiring some people to become day traders aiming to make a living from buying and selling stocks and other assets.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

Last October saw Nicole Hunter (pictured), an ETF veteran, with 20-plus years in the industry, arrive at USD601 billion asset manager, Dimensional Fund Advisors, as Head of Capital Markets. She will work with stakeholders across the firm to grow Dimensional’s ETF business, monitor primary markets’ activity and lead engagement with authorised participants.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

BNY Mellon Investment Management has drawn on in-house expertise, filing its first active ETFs, sub-advised by ESG specialists Newton Investment Management. The initial suite is comprised of three sustainable funds, BNY Mellon Sustainable US Equity ETF, BNY Mellon Sustainable International Equity ETF, BNY Mellon Sustainable Global Emerging Markets ETF.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

A new report from Bloomberg Intelligence has found that Thematic ETFs ‘could become a USD300 billion category in five years.’ Thematic ETFs will capture inflows that would have gone to traditional GICS sectors, active mutual funds and momentum and size factors, BI says.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

High valuations are worrying investors, leading to the start of a rotation away from a lot of what has been fashionable, says Sean O’Hara, president of USD6 billion Pacer ETFs, who notes that the Nasdaq is trading at 37 times earnings and there are major overweights in intangibles such as infotech, healthcare and information services.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

Bill Herrmann, Founder and Managing Partner, Wilshire Phoenix talks with ETF Express managing editor, Beverly Chandler on the launch of the company's first ETF, WGLD… This material must be accompanied or preceded by a prospectus. Please read the prospectus at http://bit.ly/WGLDinfo carefully before investing.

LISTEN NOW >

Consulting and recruitment firms’ report finds ETF sales model changed forever post Covid

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

Research from ETF consulting and recruitment firm Blackwater Search and Advisory and FLX Distribution, reveals that the ETF distribution model may have been changed for good by the Covid pandemic.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

ESG-focused asset manager CANDRIAM, has seen assets increase to EUR140 billion at the end of 2020. The firm reports that this was an increase of EUR10.1 billion, up from EUR130 billion in 2019.

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

Times they are a changing as fear of inflation and nerves around the all-time equity market highs are driving investors to seek a little protection from potential volatility ahead. Garrett Paolella (pictured) of the US’s Harvest Volatility Management, which sub-advises the Nationwide Risk-Managed Income ETF, NUSI, explains that the ETF has seen USD87 million in inflows year to date on the back of just such concerns.

Global ETF launches 18-25.03.21

Thu | 25 Mar 2021, 14:18

A steady week of new launches in very different sectors saw CI Global Asset Management debut the the CI Gold Bullion Fund, which invests in bullion to accurately reflect the performance of the price of gold. HANetf listed the Global Online Retail UCITS ETF, which is focused on the global online retail sector, on Xetra, while Leverage Shares expanded its range of ETPs to 65, adding a 'fintech disruptors' fund and a 3x Tesla ETF to its offering. Other newcomers include UBS Asset Management’s UBS ETF (LU) Solactive China Technology UCITS ETF, the first currency-hedged UCITS ETF tracking the 100 largest tech-driven Chinese companies, and Invesco’s Nasdaq Next Generation 100 UCITS ETF providing investors with access to the next generation of innovators. Finally, BNP Paribas AM followed up on the previous weeks’ sustainability trends by launching the BNP Paribas Easy EUR Hugh Yield SRI Fossil Free UCITS ETF.

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