Research Blog

The 2017 bull market provided an environment in which many investors were comfortable riding the wave through passively managed products rather than active products. Fluctuations in the U.S. stock…

After a decade in the wilderness, short-term funds have come in from the cold. Money market funds have not historically shown the same levels of product innovation as other…

September and October proved to be rough months for alternative mutual funds as well as the broader active mutual fund market. Active alternative mutual funds saw outflows of $5.9…

529s remain the vehicle most strongly associated with college savings, but other structures are playing an increasing role in the market.  According to data from Strategic Insight, 529 college…

During a banner year for asset appreciation, mutual fund and variable annuity (VA) assets managed by unaffiliated subadvisers in 2017 grew by 19% and 11%, respectively. This was the…

Exchange-traded funds have transformed the asset management industry, and at times in the last few years, it seemed that the gusher of money flowing into ETFs would never end….

Volatility has affected wide swaths of the asset management industry throughout 2018. International markets have been particularly affected by global trade wars, and emerging markets have experienced even further…

Future game-changers or over-hyped? Opinions on actively managed exchange traded structures run the gamut. They remain, however, one of the most discussed topics across the industry (including recent news…

The second quarter of 2018 marked another high point for 529 plans. The college savings plan market totaled $329 billion in assets across both 529 savings and prepaid plans…

Asset managers’ profit margins have faced a number of headwinds, including competition from passive products and fee pressure. In addition, an ever-changing regulatory environment has in ways required fund companies…