Comprehensive Guide to Active Management in ETF Investments

July. 16,2025

This article offers a detailed overview of actively managed ETFs, highlighting their features, growth trends, benefits, and associated risks. It explains how these funds differ from passive ETFs, discusses current market expansion, and provides insights into their performance potential. Investors can understand the advantages of active management and intraday trading flexibility while recognizing potential drawbacks such as higher costs and volatility. The piece aims to guide readers in evaluating whether actively managed ETFs align with their investment strategies amid rising popularity and market evolution.

Comprehensive Guide to Active Management in ETF Investments

Comprehensive Guide to Active Management in ETF Investments

While passive ETFs, which mirror indexes, dominate the market due to their low costs and stability, actively managed ETFs offer a different approach. These funds are managed by professionals who modify holdings based on market conditions, aiming for higher returns. Unlike passive funds, actively managed ETFs enable intraday trading, allowing investors to adjust their positions multiple times within a trading day. Despite being less popular overall, they appeal to investors seeking active involvement and potentially superior gains. Here’s what you need to know about active ETF management.

Comprehensive Guide to Active Management in ETF Investments

What are actively managed ETFs?
Active ETFs are funds that follow a strategy of selecting investments through a professional manager’s judgment rather than tracking a set index. They often seek to outperform the market and can adapt rapidly to changing conditions. These funds provide benefits for both individual investors and fund managers. Traders interested in frequent, intraday adjustments are attracted to ETFs that track mutual funds, as they can capitalize on multiple trading opportunities during the day without affecting the underlying mutual fund inflows or outflows.

Similar to traditional ETFs, active funds share features such as liquidity, transparency, and tax efficiency. However, managing these funds requires active oversight by skilled managers capable of reacting quickly to market movements. Investors are drawn to their lower expense ratios compared to mutual funds, along with the potential for higher returns. Nonetheless, performance is uncertain and can vary, sometimes underperforming passive ETFs, depending on market conditions and management skill.
Recent trends indicate significant growth in active ETFs, with the sector accounting for approximately $4 trillion of the global ETF market. According to US News, about 230 active ETFs are currently available, with roughly 50 launched last year alone. This rapid expansion reflects a rising investor interest, and forecasts suggest that active ETFs will continue to grow over the next few years. In 2017, these funds attracted $24 billion in less than a year, marking a 50% increase from the previous year—the sector’s largest surge since 2009.
However, this growth has also led to some concerns over misrepresentation, with some passive ETFs falsely branded as active to attract more investors. Despite their popularity, active ETFs carry inherent risks of underperformance, especially given their goal of exceeding benchmark returns. They tend to be more expensive and require active management that can pressure fund expenses and performance, particularly if a fund underperforms over time.
In conclusion, actively managed ETFs offer intraday trading flexibility, lower fees than mutual funds, and the chance for higher returns. Nonetheless, they come with risks of higher costs and variable performance, requiring careful selection and active oversight. Their rising popularity suggests a promising future, although investors should weigh potential drawbacks against their investment objectives.