ETF Working Lunch Podcast

The financial industry isn’t heralded for diversity, but things are changing, says Brie Williams, head of practice management at SPDR ETFs. We dive into the data and trends shaping the diversity conversation in our industry, and talk about the progress that’s been made, and the progress that’s still needed.

Fixed income investing isn’t meant to be exciting, but in 2020 it has certainly not been boring. Kelly Ye, director of research at IndexIQ and a fixed income expert, shares her timely insight on what’s driving the massive segment, and what opportunities she sees ahead.

Leveraged and inverse ETFs get a lot of bad press anytime a sharp market move surprises investors holding these funds. But it all comes down to understanding how, why and when these ETFs work best. Sylvia Jablonski, capital markets institutional ETF strategist at Direxion ETFs, helps us debunk some of the myths in this space.

The pandemic has disrupted economies everywhere, and government responses to it across the globe have impacted markets in different ways. Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco, takes stock of who’s handled the virus well, and what the international investing opportunity set is now.

The ETF industry has welcomed numerous active ETF launches so far in 2020, including the first nontransparent active ETFs, while facing one of the largest numbers of ETF closures, and a race to the bottom in fees that just won’t let up. It’s been busy, and Elisabeth Kashner, director of ETF research and analytics for FactSet, breaks down the trends that are shaping the industry this year.

Direct indexing is challenging the model portfolio business. Active nontransparent ETFs are challenging the idea that transparency is key. Advisors are constantly faced with disruptive new products and ideas, but what to adopt? And how to use it? Shana Sissel, chief investment officer at Spotlight Asset Group, shares the implementation case for some of these latest trends given her experience.

Factor investing is a popular strategy, but in a year like 2020, it hasn’t necessarily been easy. iShares’ U.S. Head of Factor ETFs Holly Framsted shares the challenges, trends and opportunities driving this space.

Defined outcome investing has long been popular in the institutional space, but now it’s available in ETF wrappers, and finding a growing audience. Joanne Hill, chief advisor for Research & Strategy at Cboe Vest and a founding member of Women in ETFs, offers a rundown of this space, as well as a look into the future.

It’s a tough time to be a financial advisor, facing shrinking compensation and growing competition, as well as challenging markets in the year of a pandemic. Kathryn Schwartz knows the challenge well as founder and CEO of Pawleys Investment Advisors. She shares with us the hurdles, the opportunities and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Active management doesn’t get a lot of love in the predominantly passive world of ETFs. Cathie Wood, founder and CEO of ARK Invest, is working hard to change that, not by talking about it, but by showing how it’s done. We dive in here on what makes ARK's active management process tick, and why it's so successful.