Thematic indices are experiencing rapid growth fueled by ever more sophisticated data

Overall, thematic investing has evolved in the past quarter of a century, firstly from fund managers with a theme bias, to active thematic stockpickers, and since 2016 to thematic ETFs. And investors have also changed the way in which they integrate thematic investing — shifting the strategy from a niche and satellite option to the very core of portfolios.

Rob Powell
Head of Thematic & Sector Product Strategy, BlackRock

"Data availability has been incredibly important to the existence of thematic ETFs. A few years ago, thematics was deemed to be un-indexable. So, when we launched our thematic ETFs in 2016, it was a big step in showing that you could have active-like exposure through an index."

BlackRock launched its index-based thematic ETF suite in 2016 in collaboration with Qontigo. The partnership between the two firms now includes seven ETFs tracking STOXX thematic indices, including ageing population, healthcare innovation, automation and robotics, digitalization, electric vehicles & driving technology, digital security and smart city infrastructure.

Ever more sophisticated data fueling rise in thematic index strategies

Learn about characteristics of thematic funds, including active versus passive investing, capturing disruption, and 2022 trends.

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