State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) has rebranded seven ETFs and reassigned them to its ‘SPDR Portfolio’ suite of ultra-low-cost ETFs. Noel Archard, Global Head of SPDR Product SSGA, commented, “The SPDR Portfolio suite was initially launched to give investors greater choice in low-cost ETFs. With today’s additions to the line-up, we’re offering investors more fixed income and international equity ETF options to help investors refine their asset allocations.”

Two US-listed ETFs providing exposure to Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) are enjoying significant demand as investors position their portfolios to withstand the effects of future interest rate cuts.

By Michael Iachini, Vice President, Head of Manager Research for Charles Schwab Investment Advisory.

Once considered an investment fad, socially conscious investing is today a $12 trillion business with nearly 400 ETFs and mutual funds guided by socially responsible investing (SRI) strategies. What’s more, these funds have demonstrated they can keep up with – if not exceed – the performance of more traditional funds.

By Michael Iachini, Vice President, Head of Manager Research for Charles Schwab Investment Advisory.

There are plenty of advantages in using ETFs to fill gaps in an investment portfolio, and lots of investors mix and match ETFs with mutual funds and individual stocks and bonds in their accounts. But it’s equally possible to build a complete portfolio out of nothing but ETFs, which in most cases track indexes.

By Randy Frederick, Vice President of Trading and Derivatives, Charles Schwab.

Have you ever spent hours identifying a potential trade, only to see the stock drop on unexpected company news, be it a sudden CEO departure, a product recall, or a public inquiry? For traders who have a hard time stomaching such uncertainty, ETFs may be able to help.

By Emily Doak, Managing Director of ETF Research for Charles Schwab Investment Advisory.

Even though funds are required by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to include warnings that past performance is not a guarantee of future success, it’s difficult to ignore the performance information displayed prominently in charts and graphs, and, like sports fans, investors sometimes get caught up in the excitement swirling around a “winning” fund.

Vanguard has trimmed the fees charged on 21 of its US-listed ETFs including some of its biggest, blockbuster products. Eight of the ETFs adopting lower expense ratios are ranked in the firm’s top ten by assets under management, including the $114 billion Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI US) and $113bn Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO US), the third and fourth largest ETFs globally.

ETF providers are poised to capture a bigger slice of affluent investors’ assets, according to the results of a Cogent Reports study. “We see signs of growth in ETFs from both current investors and those who are new to the category,” said Julia Johnston-Ketterer, Senior Product Director at Market Strategies International. “Additionally, ETF providers receive tremendous distribution support from financial advisors.”

Ontario-based wealth manager Investment Planning Counsel has introduced the IPC Essentials, a family of three actively managed ETF-based portfolios, each designed to meet a specific goal for investors. “While low-cost investing tends to be associated with younger investors, or those with smaller portfolios, IPC Essentials are intended for investors across the wealth spectrum,” said Kevin Hurlburt, Executive Vice President, Products and Services for Investment Planning Counsel.

Vanguard has knocked Charles Schwab off the top spot in Morningstar’s league table of US firms by assets under management in ETF managed portfolios.