ETFs: Upcoming Conferences and Top Recent Papers
Top Recent Papers and Upcoming Conferences on Exchange-Traded Funds
Later this month (26th-29th January), Savvy Investor will be attending the Inside ETFs conference in Hollywood, FL and we'd love to meet you there! Inside ETFs' blog post explains how they are adapting the conference to meet the changing needs of this ever-evolving part of the wealth management industry. Attendees can also qualify for a 10% discount by quoting this code: FKF2325SIB.
Exchanged-traded funds remain one of the fastest growing sectors of the marketplace, with institutional adoption generating unprecedented interest. Since the global financial crisis, the ETF industry has more than doubled in size with assets invested now exceeding US$6 tn. Assets invested in globally listed ESG themed funds grew exponentially during 2019, with ESG funds attracting some US$30 bn of new money. (Source: ETFGI, Dec 2019). We have included the top ETF institutional investor content that has been curated on the Savvy Investor platform in recent weeks.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES
Inside ETFs (Hollywood, FL) 26 - 29 Jan 2020
With over 2,300 delegates and more than 200 expert speakers, this is the world's leading ETF event. The agenda this year includes a keynote from Derek Jeter, former New York Yankees captain, along with such luminaries as Barney Frank, James Montier, Bob Pisani and many other revered names from the investment industry. With a fantastic menu of learning choices, the four days of this event provide a great opportunity to network and come away with a new bigger appreciation of the ETFs landscape.
Inside ETFs Canada (Toronto) 28 - 29 May 2020
Join 350+ institutional investors, hedge funds, financial advisors, DFMs, fund selectors, academics and more at Canada’s premier ETF event. Hear from 70+ speakers delivering thought-provoking insights and real-life solutions.
Inside ETFs Europe (Monaco) 30 Jun - 1 Jul 2020
Inside ETFs Europe is moving to Monaco this year, as part of the IM|Power platform of events, which runs from 30 June to 02 July 2020. Get the latest market intelligence at Europe's leading ETF conference. Join 300+ delegates including 150+ fund buyers, asset allocators and ETF buyers.
Inside ETFs Asia (Hong Kong) 12 - 14 Oct 2020
Inside ETFs Asia is co-located with FundForum Asia, the premier Asian event for asset managers. Meet 350+ of the most important decision-makers from across the ETF spectrum, including, private banks, family offices, broker/dealers, institutional investors, ETF issuers, index providers and market makers. Over 60 experts provide their perspectives on the most pressing issues facing ETF users. ETF buyers, asset owners, wealth managers, family offices, private banks, pension funds, DFMs, endowments, foundations, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds can attend the event for free.
RECENT ETF PAPERS
ETFs in Insurance General Accounts (S&P Dow Jones Indices, 2019)
This report from S&P Dow Jones Indices illustrates the growth in usage and adoption of ETFs by one particular section of the asset management industry, and outlines the differences in approaches as to how ETFs are being used.
EDHEC European ETF, Smart Beta and Factor Investing Survey 2019
EDHC-Risk Institute presents its 12th annual survey of European investment professionals' attitude and perception towards ETFs.
Bond ETFs: Primed for Growth (iShares, 2019)
For compliance reasons, this paper is only accessible in certain geographies
iShares illustrates how the introduction of bond exchange-traded funds has transformed access to fixed income markets for a wide range of investors. It sees significant growth in global bond ETF assets in the next few years to $2tn by 2024, driven by demand for new, novel products.
Podcast: Is Direct Indexing Coming for the ETF? (Parametric, 2019)
Parametric's CEO, Brian Langstraat, offers his views on direct indexing, how it works, and the benefits it might confer to investors. He explains why it may not be the 'industry disruptor' some commentators believe it might become.
Spotlight on Semi-Transparent ETFs (State Street, 2019)
State Street's ETF specialists discuss how a new class of semi-transparent ETFs is prompting investors to re-evaluate the ETF landscape.
China Asset Management: ETF as Next Wave of Growth (Oliver Wyman, 2019)
In this report from Oliver Wyman, they discuss how the ETF market has both evolved and gained momentum in China. They also outline the opportunities that exist for these products and the challenges that asset managers might face in China’s unique yet challenging market.
A Tailwind for ETF Growth in Canada (State Street, 2019)
State Street's experts dive into the Canadian ETF market, which has seen explosive growth recently, noting that three significant trends are behind much of the momentum.
Are ETFs Active? (Nasdaq blog, 2019)
Nasdaq's Phil Mackintosh explains why ETFs may not be just the plain vanilla 'index-tracking funds' many people think they are.
Is your ESG fund following its own guidelines? (Style Analytics, 2019)
In this paper from Style Analytics, they caution that investors really ought to know what 'lurks beneath' any ETF they consider for investment.
The Performance of Exchange-Traded Funds (Robeco, 2019)
Robeco makes the case that from their interpretation of data, ETFs have also lagged market returns by an amount which broadly approximates to that exhibited by active mutual funds.
Video: Factor Analysis Key to Differentiating ETFs (Style Analytics, 2019)
Style Analytics' Tom Idzal sat down with ETF.com to discuss how factor analysis might help investors when comparing equity ETFs, and how it could help ETF issuers to differentiate their product offerings.
The Shift from Active to Passive Investing: Potential Risks to Financial Stability? (2019)
In this paper, the authors investigate the significant shift from active to passive investment strategies over the past couple of decades, and how this affects financial stability.
Plausible Performance: Have Smart Beta Return Claims Jumped the Shark? (Research Affiliates, 2019)
Research Affiliates investigates whether some of the claims made for backtested results for the performance of smart beta strategies stand up to closer scrutiny.