Financial advisors appear to be increasingly warming up to the importance of having actively managed ETFs in their client’s portfolios. In a post-viewer poll following the VettaFi webcast, Active Fixed-Income Answers to Tight Monetary Policy, half of the respondents said that they are very likely to increase their exposure to active ETF strategies in the future, while 37.5% said they are somewhat likely to do so.
In addition, more than half of respondents (56%) said they were concerned that owning passive index-only ETFs left them too exposed to market conditions without forward-looking risk controls or the ability to pivot to make changes, with 44% saying they were “very concerned.”
“With the heightened market volatility of 2022 likely to persist into the new year, advisors are increasingly interested in ETFs where, rather than shifting to a more offensive or defensive stance, they can take advantage of the expertise of managers who can shift exposure based on the latest developments,” said Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi.
ETF issuers are launching more actively managed funds as more investors accept the benefits of the ETF wrapper. Plus, amidst a high volume of market volatility and record-high inflation, investors are also seeking active management to guide their investments.
While passive strategies lack the flexibility to adapt to changing market environments, active ETFs can offer the potential to outperform benchmarks and indexes. Plus, active managers with greater resources and greater scope benefit from economies of scale, which can often translate to better returns.
As part of its lineup of active exchange traded funds, T. Rowe Price offers a suite of actively managed fixed income ETFs, including the T. Rowe Price QM U.S. Bond ETF (TAGG), the T. Rowe Price Total Return ETF (TOTR), the T. Rowe Price Ultra Short-Term Bond ETF (TBUX), and the recently launched T. Rowe Price U.S. High Yield ETF (THYF).
Neil E. Kays, senior product marketing manager at T. Rowe Price, explained that if passive management is like “putting your car on autopilot,” then active management is giving the manager “the ability to grab the wheel.”
“In the current market environment, having an active manager that can pivot is key,” Kays added.
T. Rowe Price has been in the investing business for over 80 years, conducting field research firsthand with companies, utilizing risk management, and employing a team of experienced portfolio managers carrying an average of 22 years of experience.
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