Who creates exchange traded funds?
A prospective ETF manager or sponsor files a plan with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to create an ETF. Upon approval, the sponsor forms an agreement with an authorized participant, generally a market maker, specialist, or institutional investor, who will create and redeem ETF shares.
An AP is a financial institution, often a bank, that dynamically manages the creation and redemption of ETF shares in the primary market. This process adjusts the number of ETF shares outstanding and helps keep an ETF's price aligned with the value of its underlying securities.
In the U.S., the largest ETF issuers are BlackRock iShares with a 34% market share, The Vanguard Group with a 29% market share, State Street Global Advisors with a 14% market share, Invesco with a 5% market share, and Charles Schwab Corporation with a 4% market share.
The ETF creation and redemption process takes place in the primary market between the ETF sponsor and authorized participants (APs). APs are US registered, self-clearing broker-dealers, who regulate the supply of ETF shares in the secondary market.
A market maker, sometimes called a designated broker (DB), is a broker, dealer or investment firm that plays an essential role in how an ETF trades and ensures the continued and efficient exchange of securities between buyers and sellers.
However, some hedge funds are also large holders of passively-managed ETFs. As of mid-August disclosures, SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) was the most widely held ETF, with 99 hedge funds having exposure. This is not surprising to us as this is the largest and oldest ETF with $161 billion in assets.
Exchange-traded funds work like this: The fund provider owns the underlying assets, designs a fund to track their performance and then sells shares in that fund to investors. Shareholders own a portion of an ETF, but they don't own the underlying assets in the fund.
ETF shares are created when an AP submits an order for one or more creation units. A creation unit consists of a specified number of ETF shares, generally ranging from 25,000 to 250,000 shares. The ETF shares are delivered to the AP when the specified creation basket is transferred to the fund.
| No. | Provider Name | Total Assets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackRock | 2,647.46B |
| 2 | Vanguard | 2,446.40B |
| 3 | State Street | 1,204.50B |
| 4 | Invesco | 459.20B |
| Symbol | Name | AUM |
|---|---|---|
| SPY | SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | $533,453,000.00 |
| IVV | iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | $439,738,000.00 |
| VOO | Vanguard S&P 500 ETF | $432,244,000.00 |
| VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | $388,015,000.00 |
Who are the biggest ETF providers?
Investors can choose from a variety of ETFs that trade globally. BlackRock's iShares is the largest provider of ETFs as calculated by assets under management. Other major ETF providers include Vanguard, State Street, Invesco, and Charles Schwab.
As long as an advisor has taken one of the approved ETF competency courses, they are licensed to sell ETFs.
You need a brokerage account to invest in ETFs (exchange-traded funds). If you have any questions along the way, we're happy to help.
The reigning king
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) remains at the forefront of S&P 500 ETFs, boasting an impressive $478 billion in assets under management (AUM). Remarkably, this ETF celebrated its 31st anniversary on January 22, 2024, coinciding with the day the S&P 500 index reached its recent all-time high.
State Street Global Advisors manages the fund's portfolio and maintains its strategy. The fund's portfolio consists of a basket of stocks that are designed to replicate the performance of the S&P 500® Index. Investors can buy shares in SPY just like they would any other stock.
As one of the world's largest providers of financial services, Fidelity offers a full lineup of thematic, sector, factor, equity, and fixed income ETFs, and ONEQ, which follows the widely tracked Nasdaq composite index.
In short, Warren Buffett is not a hedge fund manager, and Berkshire Hathaway is not a hedge fund. Buffett is one of the few billionaires who amassed a fortune by building a successful business and managing a stock portfolio simultaneously.
Hedge funds are typically accessed only by wealthy individuals or institutions, are illiquid in the short run and charge very high fees. In contrast, ETFs can be accessed by anyone, are highly liquid in the short run and charge low fees, typically.
Limitations of ETF investments
It is crucial to take these into account before making any investment decisions: Reduced potential for returns: Due to their passive tracking of an index, ETFs may not exhibit significant outperformance of the market over the long term when compared to actively managed funds.
The main difference is that ETFs can be traded throughout the day, just like an ordinary stock. Mutual funds, on the other hand, can only be sold once a day, after the market closes.
Why not invest in ETF?
Market risk
The single biggest risk in ETFs is market risk. Like a mutual fund or a closed-end fund, ETFs are only an investment vehicle—a wrapper for their underlying investment. So if you buy an S&P 500 ETF and the S&P 500 goes down 50%, nothing about how cheap, tax efficient, or transparent an ETF is will help you.
Upon approval, the sponsor forms an agreement with an authorized participant, generally a market maker, specialist, or institutional investor, who will create and redeem ETF shares. The authorized participant acquires stock shares and places those shares in a trust, then uses them to form ETF creation units.
It's difficult but not impossible to launch an ETF. It takes seed money, and it takes skills and knowledge in finance, marketing, and financial regulation. You can even hire a company to help you create, launch and manage your ETF.
ETFs are considered to be low-risk investments because they are low-cost and hold a basket of stocks or other securities, increasing diversification.
The two major U.S. financial securities markets are the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq.
