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Steering a Ship in Illiquid Waters: Active Management of Passive Funds

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  • Koont, Naz
  • Ma, Yiming
  • Pástor, LuboÅ¡
  • Zeng, Yao

Abstract

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are typically viewed as passive index trackers. In contrast, we show that corporate bond ETFs actively manage their portfolios, trading off index tracking against liquidity transformation. In our model, ETFs optimally choose creation and redemption baskets that include cash and only a subset of index assets, especially if those assets are illiquid. Our evidence supports the model. We find that ETFs dynamically adjust their baskets to correct portfolio imbalances while facilitating ETF arbitrage. Basket inclusion improves bond liquidity in general, but worsens it in periods of large imbalance between creations and redemptions, such as the COVID-19 crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Koont, Naz & Ma, Yiming & Pástor, LuboÅ¡ & Zeng, Yao, 2022. "Steering a Ship in Illiquid Waters: Active Management of Passive Funds," CEPR Discussion Papers 17283, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:17283
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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