
Jake Moeller examines recent discussions in the closet trackers debate. It’s a tough time to be an active fund manager. Arguably it has been since the height of the global financial crisis when their fallibility was revealed in that traumatic event. Since then scrutiny by investors, regulators and financial media has been unrelenting and it has had a material impact on how active fund managers run their business. Reforms on the disclosures of fees are well documented, examination of inducements has affected how fund managers and gatekeepers interact and, the increasing prevalence of passive instruments and “robo” distribution has exerted