The virtuous cycle of experience
As consolidation and market pressure decrease prices and spreads, and increase liquidity, institutional uptake of ETFs will likely increase and change. The majority of institutions first experience ETFs through short-term exposure such as cash equitisation or transition management. However, once they have a positive experience of these products, ETFs are often used more widely in portfolios. Because of the lower trading costs and greater liquidity, ETFs are becoming increasingly popular in areas such as transition management. According to Towers Watson senior investment consultant Chris Sutton: “We are definitely seeing an increase in institutions’ use of ETFs in transition management as there is growing comfort around doing so. It is also very clear that if a client has a good first experience of ETFs, which is often for short-term or highly specific exposures, the chances the institution will use them elsewhere becomes much higher.” Greenwich Associates found institutional funds that began using ETFs for operational or tactical applications are increasingly employing them for strategic purposes, including as long-term buy and hold investments. Its survey found 24% of institutional funds using ETFs in 2010 did so for portfolio completion, but that figure rose to 42% in 2012. Holding periods also increased with those holding ETFs for longer than two years rising from 21% in 2011 to 36% in 2012, reflecting the increasingly strategic role of ETFs in institutional portfolios.
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