Firms within the exchange traded fund (ETF) marketplace are turning to academics in an attempt to differentiate themselves from the other players. Sean Hanna for The Mutual Fund Wire.com reports top academics carry a special weight with investors who are the main users of the products. Index IQ, Inc. is the latest provider in the game to capture an academic star, Yale Professor Frank J. Fabozzi, who will be senior advisor. He is set to help the company develop a series of fixed-income products.  This follows a move by WisdomTree who signed University of Pennsylvania Wharton School’s Professor Jeremy Siegal. And not to mention, Barclay’s brought Princeton Professor Burton Malkiel to a media conference, where he endorsed ETFs. Malkiel is also happens to be a longtime Vanguard board member.

Tags: Media