Institutional investors across Canada are broadening the ways they use exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and embracing more strategic applications for ETFs in their investment portfolios, according to a recent Greenwich Associates study.
In its second year of fielding of Canadian-based institutional users of ETFs, sponsored by BlackRock Asset Management Ltd., the results find that 40% of institutional funds and asset managers expect to increase their use of ETFs in the coming year, up from just above one-third last year.
Overall, the Greenwich Associates study found that institutional usage of ETFs is growing, in part, due to the increasing use of ETFs in fixed income and other asset classes beyond equities.
Of those already regularly using ETFs in their existing portfolios, 40% of Canadian institutions intend to increase allocations and move more assets to ETFs by 2015. Moreover, half of the institutions participating—and particularly asset managers, who actively manage money for institutional funds—say that their use of ETFs overall is strategic rather than tactical.
“This is really a continuation of a trend we’ve been seeing develop for several years now,” says Greg Walker, managing director, head of iShares institutional business, with BlackRock Canada. “Not only are institutional investors like pension funds, foundations and endowments realizing the benefits of ETFs, but increasingly asset managers are as well.”
Caroline Cakebread will have more results from the report in her ETF post on Monday.
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