The ETF Investor

When one of the largest active fund managers in South Africa join the ETF industry, people take notice, and others ask questions. What's behind the Coronation strategy, and what's inside their range of AMETFs?

Traditional index-tracking ETFs require an index to track. So what if there is no index, like in the case of balanced funds, or multi-asset portfolios? The construct of an actively-managed ETF provides an ideal solution for simple, straightforward, strategic, static asset allocation strategies in a cost-effective, rules-based, transparent investment option, suitable for all investor types.

With the top of the global interest rate cycle in focus, we turn our attention to the outlook for listed property companies and REITs, and the range of exchange-traded product options available on the JSE. There is more to consider than just the interest rate cycle, and we investigate how active management can be applied in global property ETF investments.

Just when you thought factor-based investments have passed their sell-by date, a new South African ETF issuer has burst onto the scene with a multi-factor, style-based, risk-managed, actively-managed domestic equity ETF.

For many investors the term ETF is synonymous with index-tracking, or so-called "passive" investments, and the concept of an actively-managed ETF therefore represents a contradiction in terms. But the term "active management" does not necessarily mean lots of activity or significant tracking differences to the reference index, and it offers opportunities to manage index-referenced investments more efficiently.

FNB recently listed three new offshore ETFs, but the underlyings are very familiar to us – MSCI World, MSCI Emerging Markets and S&P 500. How do you choose between multiple ETF options when they offer the same – or very similar – underlying investment exposure?

Financial advisors play an important and valuable role in the wealth creation and preservation journey. But can you DIY at least some of it, and if so, where and how? The ETFSA Investor Hub is the perfect combination of digital-when-you-want-it, and human-when-you-need-it.

Factor- and style-based investment strategies continue to evolve and attract the attention of portfolio managers and analysts alike. But when an ETF Manco proposes the amalgamation of two of their factor-based ETFs into a vanilla, size-based ETF, the inevitable question arises about the future of factor investing.

There is so much more to investment on the stock exchange than buying shares in local companies, and the strong growth in bond ETFs are testimony to the attraction of a whole new world for investors. Whether you think "bonds are boring", or "the bond market is the smartest in the world", this discussion on actively-managed bond ETFs is bound to expand your horizons.

As central banks continue with the interest rate mantra of "higher-for-longer", the uncertainty of the timing and speed of expected rate cuts present specific challenges for investors looking for stable and inflation-beating income. An active strategy through this period of volatility and uncertainty can offer specific benefits, but do you understand the additional risks this may bring?