A niche? Hey, almost everyone has one. So why not fixed income ETFs – non-core fixed income, especially, which “play an expanded role in portfolio construction” for institutional investors, according to the results of a survey conducted by State Street Global Advisors, reported etfdb.com.

According to the report, The Role of ETFs in a New Fixed Income Landscape, of the 700 global institutional investors SSGA surveyed with an eye on upping their exposure to high-yield corporate debt over the next 12 months, 62% likely will do so through ETFs. In contrast, only 27% of investors significantly tapped into ETFs to build their allocations to non core fixed income like high yield last year.

“The increase from just over a year ago is remarkable,” the report said.

Among larger institutions, well, the momentum especially reverberates, according to etftrends.com. Sixty eight percent of respondents generating more than $10 billion in assets indicated they’re likely to leverage ETFs to erect new exposures to high yield corporate credit.

“Our conversations with investors have reinforced what we already knew – there is significant demand for more targeted fixed income products,” said Tony Kelly, an ETF industry leader. “Our initial product suites aim to create a full toolkit for high-yield investors looking to implement their specific views on the market, and we anticipate extending this approach to other fixed income asset classes.”

Interest in directing indexing’s, well, titan

Direct indexing has drawn the attention of the titans of the asset management industry – and the reasons are obvious, according to wealthytrails.com.

Do tell.

Will do. There’s been a steady erosion of the fee management of mutual funds and exchange traded funds stemming from the escalation of ETFs themselves. Room is scant for addition products with more than 2,000 US ETFs and 5,000 US equity mutual funds, based exclusively on a universe of just 3,000 stocks. There’s a search for new revenue generating business areas by the industry. What’s more, interest by clients in customized portfolios, which is burgeoning, is on the radar.

Asset managers, shucking aside a commingled vehicle, execute direct indexing on the behalf of clients by assuming positions reflecting a representative samples of underlying index constituents, according to impactinvresting.com.

What does this approach yield? Customization, which abets flexibility. That includes pinpointing the index to track and exposures to circumvent -- or avoid – and potential tax advantages. That way. You can opt for the actual ingredients and directly call the underlying equities your own. Consequently, you don’t have to make purchases elsewhere.

Not a fan of leaping off a tall building in a single, crisp bound? Without a parachute? Odd but, well, okay.

Nevertheless, if that’s your mentality, you might tip your glass to active fixed income management. Afterall, one of the primary things it delivers is mitigating risk, according to npifund.ngontinh24.com.

For example, it yields investments beyond the fixed income benchmark index and facilitates the ability of managers to either push or tamp down risk. A passive strategy? Um, nada.

And active fixed income managers who have their antenna up can abandon possible issues before the wreak havoc on client portfolios, the site continued.

And that’s not all, no siree. They also rachet down interest rate sensitivity and keep their hands firmly on the wheel when it comes keeping the length of risk under their thumb, according to catalyst-insights.com. What’s more, they’re adept at uncovering yield against a low yield backdrop and get the most out of the trade off between duration exposure and yield capture.

And you might say they’re rather nimble, with an ability to seize on opportunities stemming from dynamic economic and policy shifts. A prime example, if you’re really keen on being reminded: the recent steepening of the bears. Gee, thanks, ladies and gentlemen, right?