Following Bill Gross’ abrupt resignation from PIMCO, the bond manager he co-founded, speculation has swirled regarding asset flight from the firm and where some of that capital will head.
Wall Street analysts have highlighted firms that could benefit from PIMCO client skittishness. The PIMCO Total Return ETF (NYSEArca: BOND) was a $3.7 billion fund a week ago, but that total is down to just over $3 billion and some rival passively managed ETFs are already benefiting from BOND departures in significant fashion. [Where Some of BOND’s Cash is Going]
BOND, the ETF equivalent of the well-known Total Return, is the second-largest actively managed ETF in the U.S. and the second-largest fund in PIMCO’s ETF lineup so it makes for an easy, predictable target in the current environment. However, in the essence of fairness and being fair is vital, it should be noted that not every PIMCO ETF has been saddled with redemptions in the wake of Gross’ departure from the firm.
The PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity ETF (NYSEArca: MINT) is a prime example. Managed by Jerome Schneider, MINT has $3.72 billion in assets under management, easily making it the largest actively managed ETF. MINT, which some investors use as a money market replacement tool due to the ETF’s scant effective duration of 0.45 years, has added $28.4 million in new assets since Sept. 26, the day Gross announced his resignation. [New Money Market Rules Could Help These ETFs]
Alright, MINT is just one example and $28.4 million is obviously minute compared to BOND’s outflows, but MINT’s asset gathering ability over the past several days could be a sign that some clients are PIMCO clients, not Gross devotees and have not had their faith in the firm shaken in the wake of his departure.