Brown Brothers Harriman & Co has published its 10th annual Global ETF Investor Survey, which reveals that, in the face of market volatility, 76 per cent of investors globally plan to increase or maintain investments in buffer/market neutral strategies, 69 per cent plan to maintain or increase commodity investments, and 40 per cent plan to allocate more to short duration fixed income strategies.
The firm also found that 52 per cent of UK investors plan to add ESG investments over the next 12 months, a greater percentage than any continental country aside from Spain (60 per cent).
To evaluate ESG ETFs, European (including UK) investors trust their own analysis over third party ratings, the survey found, with 67 per cent of investors using in-house proprietary ESG ratings criteria, versus 28 per cent that utilise third-party ratings.
UK investors care more about tax efficiency than their continental counterparts as 81 per cent of UK investors cited tax efficiency as the most important factor when selecting an ETF, the survey revealed.
European investors – including the UK – have increased their use of robo-advisers with it more than doubling year-over-year, and some 46 per cent of European investors plan to add robotics and AI ETFs to their portfolios this year, up from 36 per cent last year.
Some 82 per cent of investors plan to increase or maintain active ETF exposure this year, as mutual fund to ETF conversions accelerate, the firm says.
