MFS Investment Management launched its first suite of five actively managed ETFs in December 2024, extending proven mutual fund strategies into the fast-growing active ETF market. The transparent funds span U.S. equities, international equities, and fixed income, managed by the same seasoned professionals overseeing MFS’s existing vehicles. With simple tickers like MFSV for value and MFSG for growth, advisors can access familiar strategies in a new structure that aims to offer daily liquidity and tax efficiency.
WisdomTree has grown from $30 billion to nearly $85 billion in U.S. assets by focusing on advisor-driven solutions rather than just launching products. The firm’s patient innovation approach includes floating-rate funds that became billion-dollar winners, gold strategies ranking #1 in Morningstar categories, and pioneering tokenization technology. Head of Distribution Joe Grogan explains how WisdomTree delivers comprehensive solutions that prioritize after-fee performance over low fees alone.
Pacer’s QDPL and QSIX ETFs use dividend futures to deliver 4x and 6x dividend yields while maintaining ~90% equity exposure—eliminating the traditional trade-off between growth and income. By recapturing dividends abandoned in derivatives strategies, these funds might offer income-focused investors a compelling alternative to covered calls or sector concentration, aiming to generate compelling annual distributions with reduced volatility.
The Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) targets the infrastructure fueling America’s industrial comeback, driven by surging power demand from AI, data center expansion, and chip manufacturing onshoring. With rising natural gas demand and a covered call overlay, MDST aims to deliver steady income and reduced volatility for equity income investors.
WisdomTree’s DGRW combines dividend growth, profitability, and balance sheet strength to help advisors navigate shifting correlations and market stress. The fund aims to provide a disciplined alternative to traditional cap-weighted core equity strategies.
Many emerging-market ETFs lean heavily into growth benchmarks and remain concentrated in large economies like China. Cullen’s CEMFX takes a different approach—actively screening for undervalued dividend payers across diverse EM countries. Portfolio Manager Rahul Sharma explains how this value-driven strategy aims to deliver higher yields, better geographic diversification, and stronger fundamentals than typical passive EM exposure, potentially offering advisors a complementary tool for today’s global environment.
U.S. Global Investors’ Frank Holmes discusses how the SEA ETF seeks to offer diversified, inflation-sensitive exposure to global trade by targeting companies that power shipping, logistics, and cargo—beyond borders or benchmarks.
