Research Blog

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…

Strategic Insight recently released its annual report on asset manager profitability, Money Manager Financial Comparisons. This study has been published every year since 1988. The latest edition analyzes the…

A little over a year ago, we were wondering whether the rise in demand for socially conscious investing in the United States could eventually result in the widespread adoption…

In the coming weeks, millions of Americans will reconnect with the great American tradition of “summer reading.” For decision makers in the asset management industry, that may include a…

The growth of the liquid alternatives market in the United States began most substantially after the financial crisis of 2008, but other American markets sat out this opportunity. This…

The number of third-party subadvisers managing mutual fund and variable annuity portfolios grew from 648 to 786 between year-end 2012 and April 2018. Those managers have also experienced substantial…