PIMCO Total Return ETF (NYSEArca: BOND) manager Bill Gross promised big things when the fund launched earlier this year, and the ETF has not disappointed.
In short order, the ETF has already attracted more than $1.7 billion in assets under management, including an impressive $200 million that entered the fund just last week.
And BOND, being an unabashedly “actively managed” ETF, the quick progress of the fund has turned heads on both the retail and institutional fronts as actively managed products have simply failed to become briskly embraced by investors until now, as a general rule.
Two months ago we highlighted BOND, noting encouraging early performance of the ETF versus its well known and established mutual fund version counterpart, the PIMCO Total Return (PTTAX).
This trend has certainly continued, as BOND has rallied an impressive 3.81% since inception in March of this year with PTTAX up only 1.99% during the same time period.
Currently, top holdings in BOND include U.S. Treasury Notes, FNMA (Fannie Mae) and SLMA (Sallie Mae Student Loan) obligations, as well as FHLMC (Freddie Mac) securities, and the fund charges what we believe is a generous 0.55% expense ratio.