Tag Archives: ETF execution

CNBC Debuts Programming Dedicated to ETFs-Finally!

MarketsMuse coverage of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry began nearly ten years ago, and our senior curators have since been scratching their heads as to why CNBC, the retail investors’ most-watched business news network had never created dedicated programming to educate their viewers about ETFs, an asset class that has consistently grown (by as much as 20% YoY). How big is this market? Based on various metrics published by the assortment of ETF Issuers, more than $3 Trillion (with a “T”) of ETFs are held by US investors, the global market size is over $5 Trillion (with a “T”).

More telling, RIAs (Registered Investment Advisors) that manage money for retail investors now allocate well more than 50% of client money into these thematic funds. That said, CNBC–the business media channel that has become ubiquitous for its retail investor-targeted 12 hour+ daily coverage of stock market activity, interviews with fund managers, sell-side research analysts and public company CEOs have provided merely tangential insight to the ETF marketplace. Until now, that is.

Yesterday, CNBC premiered a new segment titled “ETF Edge” and hosted by commentator Bob Pisani. The premiere segment captured two particularly insightful ETF industry veterans; hedge fund manager Tim Seymour (who is also one of CNBC’s frequent market commentators) and Andy McCormond, Managing Director of ETF Execution for agency broker-dealer WallachBeth Capital, a boutique institutional brokerage whose thought-leadership on the topic of ETFs and better approaches to executing orders in ETF products has been embraced by a discrete universe of institutional investors and tens of dozens of RIAs for more than 10 years.

Hats Off to CNBC for shedding more light on an asset class that retail investors need to know more about.  Roll the opening show clip!

ETF Edge, January 23, 2019 from CNBC.

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Trade Execution 101: High-Touch is NOT Out-of-Touch-Those Who Disagree Are..

Below courtesy of excerpt from front page article by Dan Strumpf “Markets Keeping Faith in Humanity” in July 29 WSJ Money & Investing section.

wsjlogo“After years of ceding ground to trading via computer programs, buying and selling stock the old-fashioned way—over the phone or its modern equivalent of instant messaging—is holding its own…

“…Last year, about 55% of stock trading by dollar volume took place in a “high-touch” fashion, among human beings communicating one on one and agreeing on the price, according to consulting firm Greenwich Associates, which surveys hundreds of large investors every year. That is still down from the past two years, but only slightly. The figure was 57% in 2012 and 56% in 2011. In 2004, before the introduction of new trading technologies and the proliferation of high-speed trading, the number was 71%….

“…Big money managers cite several reasons for continuing to keep human trading in their tool kits, even though it costs more than computer trading. They include the bewildering spider web of stock exchanges, concerns about aggressive high-frequency traders, and the downturn in volumes that has made it challenging to complete larger trades. And, in many cases, investors say they value the color on how, where and why a stock is trading that only human traders can provide…”

Michael Wallach, CEO WallachBeth Capital
Michael Wallach, CEO WallachBeth Capital

Noted Michael Wallach, CEO of agency-only execution firm WallachBeth Capital, the institutional brokerage specializing in ETFs, institutional options and a provider of independent equity research within the healthcare sector, “The WSJ article underscored important talking points voiced by a broad universe of investment managers who we speak with, most notably their recognition that while screen-based markets provide context, those markets are not only fragmented, but are 1-dimensional when considering the trading landscape is always 3-dimensional.”

Added Wallach, “Managers who position themselves as fiduciaries should require their brokers to conform to best practices, which includes providing both color and navigation skills away from the screen in order to source true liquidity at the best available prices.” Continue reading