Reblog: Is passive investing suitable for India?
Since 2008, the global asset management industry has been reeling under a relentless tsunami. While the assets under management (AUM) of actively managed mutual funds (MFs) have increased from $9.0 trillion to $13.4 trillion, passively managed index funds have surged from $0.6 trillion to $2.2 trillion. These now account for 12% of the total MF industry. Vanguard, the international company most identified with passive investing, had less than $25 billion in AUM for over two decades since its inception in 1975. It crossed the $100-billion mark in 1995. The march of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has been equally impressive. By various accounts, the total AUM of ETFs has crossed the $2.1-trillion mark. ETFs have made significant inroads into the fixed income asset class, while index funds have been focused on equity.