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The Active World of Passive Investing
[Mutual fund’s R2 as predictor of performance]

Author

Listed:
  • David Easley
  • David Michayluk
  • Maureen O’Hara and Tālis
  • J Putniņš

Abstract

We investigate the new reality of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). We show that most ETFs are active investments in form (designed to generate alpha) or function (serve as building blocks of active portfolios). We define a new activeness index to capture these dimensions, finding that the cross-section of ETFs is now increasingly characterized by highly active investment vehicles. Active-in-form ETFs have positive flow-performance sensitivity, charge the highest fees among ETFs, and have high within-portfolio turnover. Active-in-function ETFs have more concentrated holdings, less within-portfolio turnover, but higher turnover in the secondary market. We show how more active ETFs are gaining market share over less active ETFs, leading to competitive fee pressure both within the ETF space and across the investment management industry. We suggest that the growing activeness of ETFs may assuage concerns about ETFs harming price discovery.

Suggested Citation

  • David Easley & David Michayluk & Maureen O’Hara and Tālis & J Putniņš, 2021. "The Active World of Passive Investing [Mutual fund’s R2 as predictor of performance]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 25(5), pages 1433-1471.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:revfin:v:25:y:2021:i:5:p:1433-1471.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rof/rfab021
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dekker, Lennart, 2024. "Essays on asset liquidity and investment funds," Other publications TiSEM 5fc9bf77-84e7-4a36-9e3a-1, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    2. Xu, Liao & Pu, Wenyan, 2022. "ETFs, arbitrage activity, and stock market efficiency: Evidence from Chinese CSI 300 ETFs," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 1-9.
    3. Said Kaawach & Oskar Kowalewski & Oleksandr Talavera, 2023. "Automatic vs Manual Investing: Role of Past Performance," Discussion Papers 23-04, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.
    4. Fan Yang & Tomas Havranek & Zuzana Irsova & Jiri Novak, 2024. "Is research on hedge fund performance published selectively? A quantitative survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 1085-1131, September.
    5. Immo Stadtmüller & Benjamin R. Auer & Frank Schuhmacher, 2024. "Core-satellite investing with commodity futures momentum," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(3), pages 261-287, May.
    6. Hamed Yousefi & Mohammad Najand & Licheng Sun, 2024. "The flow‐performance puzzle: Insights from passive and active ETFs," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 64(4), pages 3623-3656, December.
    7. Shiyang Huang & Maureen O’Hara & Zhuo Zhong, 2021. "Innovation and Informed Trading: Evidence from Industry ETFs [Short interest, institutional ownership, and stock returns]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(3), pages 1280-1316.
    8. Carmine De Franco, 2021. "Stock picking in the US market and the effect of passive investments," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 1-10, February.
    9. Joey W. Yang & Lewis May & John Gould, 2023. "Exchange‐traded fund ownership and underlying stock mispricing," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(S1), pages 1417-1445, April.
    10. Marta Khomyn, 2020. "Essays on Modern Market Structure," PhD Thesis, Finance Discipline Group, UTS Business School, University of Technology, Sydney, number 2-2020, January-A.
    11. Im, Hyun Joong & Selvam, Srinivasan & Tan, Kelvin J.K., 2024. "Effect of stock liquidity on the economic value of patents: Evidence from U.S. patent data," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    12. Valadkhani, Abbas & Moradi-Motlagh, Amir, 2023. "An empirical analysis of exchange-traded funds in the US," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 995-1009.
    13. Nadine Gatzert & Anna Kraus, 2024. "Do sustainability attributes play a role for individuals’ decisions regarding unit-linked life insurance? A survey research on German private investors," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 49(4), pages 719-746, October.
    14. Ewa Feder-Sempach & Tomasz Miziołek, 2023. "How precisely European equity ETFs mirror their flagship benchmarks? Evidence from funds replicating performance of Euro Stoxx 50 Index," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 24(2), pages 121-135, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Exchange-traded fund; ETF; Activeness Index; Passive investing; Index investing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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