Active ETFs make up over 80% of this year's new fund launches, ETF Trends says

Active ETFs contributed more than 80% of this year's new fund launches, according to an ETF Trends piece that uses T. Rowe Price's Capital Appreciation Equity ETF as its case study.

The article, published in ETF Trends' Active ETF Content Hub, does not name the provider of the 80% figure or define the launch population it covers.

It also says active ETFs are collecting major flows relative to their assets, without giving a number. That split — a stated share of launches, an unstated share of assets — suggests active strategies still account for a smaller slice of ETF assets than of new listings.

TCAF marked three years as an ETF in June. David Giroux manages the fund; the fee is 31 basis points; and it usually holds about 100 names, moving between growth and value as its research leads.

ETF Trends describes the fund as applying T. Rowe Price's global research to assess individual companies on market position, valuation and risk-adjusted returns.

ETF Database data cited in the piece puts TCAF's return at 14% year to date and its annual average at 19.9%.

A companion ETF Trends headline says the firm's Ultra Short-Term Bond ETF, TBUX, is up almost $1 billion year to date.

The piece draws a contrast between TCAF's bottom-up process and newly launched active ETFs it characterizes as carrying the active label without much active management, a comparison it does not quantify. It offers no peer fee comparison for the 31 basis points either. For an allocator weighing active large-cap equity launches, the fee and the holdings count are the two terms in the piece that can be checked against a shelf; the 80% launch share cannot, as presented.