Vanguard sees strong ETF adoption


Vanguard has seen a continued strong adoption of its exchange traded funds (ETFs) in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2017, which represented over a third of Australian ETF cash flows invested in its products over the year, the company said.
Out of total of $8.14 billion of Australian cash flow invested in ETFs, $2.9 billion were invested into Vanguard ETFs which as a result brought total Vanguard ETF funds under management to over $10 billion.
The international equities attracted 42 per cent of the total industry ETF cash flows while Australian equities gained 33 per cent of the those flows.
Vanguard’s head of ETF Capital Markets, Damien Sherman said: “The growth in Australian ETF cash flow follows a worldwide trend of funds flowing into lower cost investment solutions.”
“The ETF industry in Australia has now grown to more than $35 billion with more investors attracted to the low-cost diversification of ETFs than ever before.”
The firm also stressed that 2017 was a good year for ETF investors as all major markets were posting strong returns, with the S&P/ASX300 returning approximately 12 per cent.
According to Vanguard, investors improved their understanding of ETFs and how to utilise them to better diversify portfolios, particularly through the use of international equity products.
Recommended for you
Platinum Asset Management has provided an update on the possibility of a merger with asset manager L1 Capital following a period of due diligence.
Commentators may be forecasting consolidation in private market firms but a survey of the industry itself expects new manager formation will still outpace this, especially in Asia Pacific.
Fund manager Pacific Current has appointed a former superannuation chief executive as its newest chair, succeeding Tony Robinson who departs after almost a decade to focus on his role at COG Financial.
The possibility of a private credit ETF is looking unlikely for now with US vehicles seeing limited uptake, according to commentators, but fixed income alternatives exist that can provide investors with a similar return.