Pimco’s eagerly anticipated entree into the exchange traded fund (ETF) world will feature actively managed bond funds, among others.

Their announcement in July that they had filed for ETFs with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was greeted with excitement – and questions. Many have been wondering for awhile if and when those that dominate the conventional fund business would get into the business. But now that there is one, will more follow?

Pimco’s reputation as a shrewd money manager could help when it comes to marketing these active funds, says Ian Salisbury for the Wall Street Journal. No other details on the fund were offered, but the company’s managing director said it could become a template for more ETFs, including equity, commodity and asset allocation. Their initial filing was for passive ETFs, reports Murray Coleman for Index Universe.

The first actively managed ETFs showed up this year. The early results have been promising – but it’s only been three months for some funds. Investors seem to be reluctant to get into active ETFs, seeming to prefer instead to wait and see how they perform in the absence of back-tested data.

According to some industry experts, the funds may hit the market within the next six to nine months. No portfolio managers were identified in the filing.

Tags: Commodity ETFs