Index Investing:

The Increasing Dominance of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) & the Continuing Emergence of Personalized (Direct) Indexing

Recently Released!!!
Date Published: September 18, 2024
Summary PowerPoint Deck: 240 Slides
Reference PowerPoint Deck: 1,627 Slides


The purpose of this research is to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of index investing, including passively managed exchange traded funds (ETFs), index mutual funds, personalized (direct) indexing, & indexed separate accounts. Index investing is growing rapidly, driven by many factors. BlackRock, The Vanguard Group, & State Street Global Advisors dominate the retail portion of the market, while Northern Trust, Parametric Portfolio Associates, JP Morgan Chase & Company, and The Bank of New York Mellon are large players in the institutional portion of the market. This research summarizes the highlights of Tiburon's underlying research on passively managed exchange traded funds (ETFs), index mutual funds, personalized (direct) indexing, & indexed separate accounts. This research fits within Tiburon's specialized topics series, which includes a wide variety of trending topics.

This research starts with a context setting chapter, and then addresses the key historical phases of index investing, including:

  • Indexed Separate Accounts Emergence Phase
  • Index Mutual Funds Emergence Phase
  • Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Emergence Phase
  • Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) Dominance Phase
  • Direct Indexing Emergence Phase

This research defines the core product markets in index investing, including:

  • Passively Managed Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
  • Index Mutual Funds
  • Personalized (Direct) Indexing
  • Indexed Separate Accounts

And this research makes several future predictions for index investing, including:

  • Substantial Growth in Index Investing
  • Index Investing Net Flows to Continue to be Dominated by Passively Managed Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with the Continued Rise of Personalized (Direct) Indexing
  • Substantial Growth in Factor Investing & Smart Beta Products
  • Substantial Global & International (Non-United States) Index Investing Markets
  • Moderate Growth in Index Investing Firms Venture Capital Investments
  • Few Index Investing Firms Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Few Index Investing Firms Initial Public Offerings (IPOs)





















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