Hands-on fund managers drive ETF growth

The exchange-traded fund industry is having a record year, with assets already hitting over $1 trillion, and active managers are driving a big part of that growth. 

"Third-quarter activity confirmed what we’ve seen building over the past several years: Active ETFs continue to drive innovation and flows," wrote Dan Aronson, managing director, ETF client product specialist group, in Janus Henderson’s "ETF Pulse" through the third quarter.

Active managers can be part of the decision-making regarding which stocks to include using the convenience of an ETF.

Active ETFs account for 80% of year-to-date launches, with assets under management growing 38% compared to 6% for passive ETFs, he noted. New launches are balanced between fixed income and equities. 

However, not all funds are created equal. Average assets under management are around $120 million for funds between two and three years old, compared to just $40 million for newer funds. 

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Still, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, sees plenty of ETF growth ahead in 2026.

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"We’re optimistic, but people need to be nimble. I think this is where active management can provide a ton of value to navigate where we are seeing the markets up, but we are also seeing a lot more dispersion across stocks," Jay Jacobs, BlackRock U.S. head of equity ETFs, told FOX Business’ Liz Claman. "There are some bigger winners and some bigger losers. Being able to play the stock markets the right way can really help drive investor returns in 2026."