smart beta

In quite possibly unsurprising news for those following the exponential growth of the exchange-traded funds industry, BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) says institutional investors are increasing their use ETFs. BlackRock, the parent company of iShares, the world's largest ETF issuer, confirmed the...

Advisors and investors are hearing plenty about the growth of smart or strategic beta exchange-traded funds. New data confirm these ETFs, which toe the line between active and passive management, are growing at a blistering pace. According to FTSE Russell’s first U.S. retail financial advisor...

There is an increasing number of ways to approach smart or strategic beta methodologies in the world of exchange-traded funds. Some critics would argue the universe encompassing strategic beta is becoming unwieldy and too complex for many advisors and investors to digest. What cannot be debated is...

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK)'s iShares unit, the world's largest issuer of exchange-traded funds, made a major splash Monday in the marriage of two hot ETF themes – currency hedging and low volatility – with the introduction of five such funds. “Four of the five funds are...

With smart or strategic beta exchange-traded funds receiving so much attention (and new assets), some investors might assume these funds are relatively new kids on the ETF block. That is not the case. At this point, equal-weight ETFs could be considered classics or the grandfathers of the...

As the smart or strategic beta class of exchange-traded funds has gained momentum and, more importantly, assets, the funds occupying this fast-growing segment of the ETF universe have also become increasingly sophisticated. In fact, some established factor-based ETFs have even changed indices...

Last month, asset management giant John Hancock became the latest big name in the financial services industry to enter the exchange-traded funds arena, doing so with six funds sub-advised by Dimensional Fund Advisors. Hancock's new ETF lineup is comprised of six funds – four sector...

Igor Gonta has long believed in the "wisdom of the crowd," a concept based on the accuracy of the average opinion of a diverse group of people. Now the Market Prophit CEO and entrepreneur has turned that belief into a first-of-its kind social media sentiment, smart beta index based on...

The majority of assets in exchange-traded funds track well-established indices with very little turnover or evaluation of the underlying securities. This passive methodology provides a means for owning a standard benchmark, yet leaves little to be desired when trying to achieve market beating...