Pensions and insurers give new impetus to Asia’s ETFs

Yield-chasing has been a persistent theme among Asian insurers. “As low interest rates reduce the income-generating ability of fixed-income investments, insurers are looking to diversify their return sources,” says Brian Roberts, senior vice‑president and head of exchange-traded products at HKEX. “Investors can’t control market returns, but can control fees that eat away at their returns. The low-cost, tax-efficient nature of ETFs is one of the reasons we’re seeing stronger interest among insurers.” According to data compiled by research provider ETFGI,...