Trillions

For years active mutual funds have been looking for a way to utilize the benefits of the ETF structure without having to show their holdings every day. They may have finally found a solution, but will it be enough?Joel and Eric are joined by Dan McCabe of Precidian Investments and Rachel Evans of Bloomberg News, who wrote about McCabe's non-transparent active ETF structure in the latest issue of Bloomberg Markets magazine. McCabe, who's licensing his structure to the likes of BlackRock, JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs, discusses how this decade-in-the-making development came to pass and the benefit it might provide investors while addressing industry headwinds and competition. Eric, Joel, and Rachel begin the episode with a brief discussion of Schwab's move to eliminate commissions -- the latest flare-up in the ETF trading war -- as well the new ETF Rule the SEC finalized last week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the main drivers behind the rise of ETFs and index funds is the fast-changing world of wealth management. RIAs have always been the early adopters of ETFs and remain big users today. On this episode of Trillions, we explore their world via a new conference by advisors for advisors called WealthStack. These are not your father's stock brokers but rather a younger, more casual, fiduciary-minded, tech driven group of wealth managers looking to stay ahead of the curve. We interviewed about a dozen attendees on topics such as the future of advice, ETFs, social media, concerns over passive, technology and direct indexing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multi-factor ETFs are one of the fastest growing ETF categories. But what exactly do they do? Is the sum more than all the parts? Are they active or passive? These are the questions Bloomberg News' Annie Massa sought to answer at the recent Inside Smart-Beta conference. In this special field report for Trillions, Annie interviews analysts, advisors and issuers to get to the bottom of the multi-factor trend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this new season of Prognosis, we look at the spread of infections that are resistant to antimicrobial medicines. You're probably more likely to have heard of these as superbugs. Their rise has been described as a silent tsunami of catastrophic proportions. We travel to countries on the frontline of the crisis, and explore how hospitals and doctors around the world are fighting back. Prognosis’ new season launches Sept. 5. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's the Spy Kids and then there's the SPY Kids, aka the 11 millennials that unwittingly control the fate of the world's largest and most traded ETF.The $250 billion SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust is pinned to their longevity, thanks to a quirk in the archane legal structure used by some early ETFs. Like other unit investment trusts, SPY has a set termination date and will expire in 2118, or 20 years after the last of these twenty-somethings die.On this episode of Trillions, Joel, Eric and Bloomberg News reporter Rachel Evans track down three of the SPY kids to discuss their connection to the birth of ETFs, their newfound fame -- and why they wish there was some money in it for them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You know ETFs have gone mainstream when there are multiple TV shows about them, including Bloomberg’s own ETF IQ. Nearing its 100th episode, the show is co-hosted by veteran Bloomberg TV anchor Scarlet Fu and Eric. On this episode of Trillions, Scarlet and Eric take Joel behind-the-scenes of the fast-paced show, pick some of their favorite moments with noteworthy guests, and also deconstruct a few lessons from the ever-evolving ETF industry.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A number of high-profile companies have gone public this year -- Lyft, Uber, Beyond Meat, Slack, and Zoom, to name just a few. Yet these new entrants into the public markets aren't included in major indexes at their launch, limiting most investors' exposure to the companies' early trading. While investors can always buy individual stocks, a few ETFs specialize in a catch-and-release strategy of buying companies that have recently listed and then holding them for only a few years -- and they have a history of outperforming their benchmarks. Gina Martin Adams of Bloomberg Intelligence and Carolina Wilson of Bloomberg News join Eric and Joel to discuss the recent flurry in IPO activity and what the holdings of these ETFs can bring to a portfolio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cathie Wood, founder of ARK Invest, is a successful stock picker in the era of passive. Her actively managed ETFs, which focus entirely on disruptive themes, have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to find success both in returns and flows. Her bold calls, high conviction and transparent approach has attracted fans and investors -- along with some haters. On this episode of Trillions, Cathie and Rachel Evans of Bloomberg News join Joel and Eric to discuss her approach to picking stocks, identifying disruptive companies and the importance of thinking outside the box. We also explore the risks of being in such a high conviction, high active share ETF. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the second quarter comes to a close, Trillions reflects on some of the interesting trends and takeaways that have emerged so far this year -- and also explores a few things that may yet come to pass. Joel and Eric are joined by Todd Rosenbluth, ETF analyst for CFRA, and Sarah Ponczek, an ETF and markets reporter for Bloomberg News and co-host of the new What Goes Up podcast. Topics discussed by the group include fixed-income ETFs, sectors, new launches, ESG, marijuana, the non-transparent active ETF model, Michigan sports, Tom Hanks, and Family Ties. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leverage and inverse ETFs are the bad boys of the ETF world - akin to Rated R movies or power tools. In the hands of a trained trader they can be helpful and precise. In the hands of a novice they can cut your hand off.  We speak with Sylvia Jablonski of Direxion, the maker of 3x ETFs about her mission to “democratize leverage.” We also demystify these sometimes demonized products and breakdown how they work, what they hold, who should and shouldn’t use them and some of the products that see the most action.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.