etf developments in 2017 and beyond ft adviser
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03/03/2017 FTAdviser
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ETFs Spring 2017 yesterday
ETF developments in 2017 and beyond
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I nvestors have a plethora of potentially market-shaking events coming up this year –from the triggering of Brexit in the UK, to elections across Europe and the actions and
reactions of loose cannon Donald Trump in the White House.
FTAdviser asked the experts what to expect specifically in the ETF market, as investorsseek to ride out these choppy waters.
Bryon Lake, head of Invesco PowerShares EMEA, reckons there will be continuedadoption of ETFs in the year ahead, particularly smart beta ETFs.
“Usage is already pronounced, but momentum continues to build over time with averagesmart beta portfolio allocations expected to rise to 25 per cent in the UK within the nextthree years,” he said.
“Users are following up on their intentions to increase their future allocations, shown byour year-on-year research" (see graphic below).
Evolution of Smart Beta allocation
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Mr Lake says a large proportion of smart beta users are currently investing in developedmarket equities through smart beta in their efforts to meet the challenges they face.
According to research carried out by Powershres, European equity is the most popularasset class for smart beta, with 55 per cent of users saying they currently invest.
This is followed by US large cap equity (43 per cent), followed by domestic equity at 26per cent (see graphic below).
Popularity of asset class:
Mr Lake says these preferences reflect most users’ inclination for accessing smart beta inmarkets with greater familiarity and choice. “We think this trend will continue in theyear ahead,” he adds.
For James McManus, investment manager, at robo-adviser Nutmeg, the ETF market in2017 and beyond will include a growing range of ways to segment fixed income markets,particularly corporate credit markets.
“We expect continued expansion in ‘smart beta’/fundamentally weighted fixed incomestrategies, as well as continued product launches that segment the fixed income market
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by credit quality, duration etc, weighted on a market cap basis, as well as more currency-hedged share classes,” he says.
Mr McManus also forecasts growth in the number of players in the ETF market, withmore traditional asset managers expected to launch ETF businesses.
“Many of the larger active market leaders are already looking at ETFs as a solution theyneed to be able to offer investors,” he says.
“Whether they will be able to find their niche and compete with the existing ETF marketleaders is another question.”
Costs
The most unifying forecast from the experts is good news for investors - ETF costs areset to fall.
Daniel Greenhough, investment manager at St Albans-based Lumin Wealth, points torecent cost cutting by passive giant Vanguard to undercut the market leader iShares inthe fixed income asset classes of ETFs.
He expects prices will plateau somewhere between 0.07 per cent and 0.15 on indexlinked gilts ETFs, for example.
Mr McManus of Nutmeg expects increased liquidity and volume in Europe should meanlower trading costs in the ETF secondary market (tighter bid-ask spreads).
Chief executive and co-founder of ETFmatic, Luis Rivera, thinks the cost of physical andsynthetic replication will continue to come under pressure.
He says more and more providers will compete at lower and lower prices.
“In many ways ETF issuers face commoditisation, which is why some are venturing intothe robo-adviser space,” he says.
Mark Fitzgerald, product manager for Vanguard, echoes the view ETF investors willbenefit from lower prices in 2017 – he says through increased product and costcompetition, cost transparency and product suitability.
However he adds that while cost transparency and fee sensitivity will continue to driveinvestment in ETFs in 2017, this “will force consolidation into products with
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unsustainable asset levels.”
Mr McManus sounds his own note of caution, foreseeing problems in advances in ‘activeETFs’ over the next 12 months.
“For us, active ETFs raise the prospect of decreased transparency for investors andpotentially introduce a product that is structurally different to those in the existingmarket, under the same ETF banner.”
But Joe Parkin, head of UK wealth and retail sales at iShares, is more open to ETFsbeing used as part of active strategies.
>The approach combines the most effective characteristics of index and activeinvestment, and offers more flexibility and lower costs than more conventionalapproaches.---Joe Parkin
In 2017 and beyond he sees investors increasingly use core and satellite strategies whendeveloping portfolios with ETFs where, with what he says is the extensive range ofmarket exposures that they can offer, ETFs can be used as ‘core’ investments, or as moreflexible ‘satellites’.
“The approach combines the most effective characteristics of index and activeinvestment, and offers more flexibility and lower costs than more conventionalapproaches,” he says.
“The flexible and liquid attributes of ETFs makes them ideally suited to build portfolioswith. They enable investors to get exposure to markets quickly, and cost effectively.”
For Mr Greenhough, 2016 suited passive investing, particularly in UK equities, pointingto a good 2017 for the investments.
“The best performing funds in one year are generally the best-selling funds the next – soit should be positive for ETF flows.
“I expect we will continue to see model portfolio services providers creating passive onlymodel portfolio for advisers to use with clients.”
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How the ETF market has grown1ETFs vs index funds and the rise of smart beta2How to use ETFs in portfolio construction3ETF developments in 2017 and beyond4
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