Bryan Armour: Is Index Investing’s Superpower Unstoppable?

The Long View

Our guest this week is our colleague, Bryan Armour, who is director of passive investment strategies research, North America, for Morningstar Research Services. Bryan is also editor of the ETFInvestor newsletter. Before joining Morningstar in 2020, Bryan spent seven years working for Finra, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, conducting trade surveillance and investigations specializing in exchange-traded funds. Prior to Finra, he worked for a proprietary trading firm as an options trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Bryan holds a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois and the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Background

Bio

Passive Investing and ETFs

“Index Funds Have Officially Won,” by John Rekenthaler, Morningstar.com, Feb. 13, 2024.

“Active Funds Fell Short of Passive Peers in 2023,” by Bryan Armour, Morningstar.com, March 12, 2024.

“It’s Official: Passive Funds Overtake Active Funds,” by Adam Sabban, Morningstar.com, Jan. 17, 2024.

“ETFs vs. Mutual Funds: The Benefits That Really Matter,” by Bryan Armour, Morningstar.com, Feb. 6, 2024.

“2023 Model Portfolio Landscape,” Morningstar.com.

“Markets Are ‘Fundamentally Broken’ Due to Passive Investing, Says David Einhorn,” by William Watts, marketwatch.com, Feb. 9, 2024.

“How Fund Fees Are the Best Predictor of Returns,” by Russ Kinnel, Morningstar.com, Jan. 12, 2026.

“Cage Match: Traditional Index Funds vs. ETFs,” by Christine Benz and Margaret Giles, Morningstar.com, Oct. 20, 2023.

“Global Fund Flows: 2023 in Review,” Morningstar.com, Feb. 6, 2024.

“A Closer Look at Vanguard’s Newest Core Bond ETFs,” by Dan Sotiroff, Morningstar.com, Feb. 12, 2024.

“3 New ETFs That Stand Out From the Pack,” by Ryan Jackson, Morningstar.com, Aug. 30, 2023.

“Converting Mutual Funds to ETFs: What to Make of the Trend,” by Daniel Sotiroff, Morningstar.com, April 11, 2023.

“How to Choose a Great Dividend ETF,” by Dan Sotiroff, Morningstar.com, May 17, 2023.

“The Best and Worst New ETFs of 2023,” by Bryan Armour, Morningstar.com, Dec. 19, 2023.

Bitcoin and Covered-Call ETFs

“Spot Bitcoin ETFs Are Here. Should You Invest?” by Bryan Armour, Morningstar.com, Jan. 11, 2024.

“Grayscale’s Victory Over the SEC Doesn’t Mean a Spot Bitcoin ETF—for Now,” by Bryan Armour, Morningstar.com, Aug. 30, 2023.

“Should You Buy a Covered-Call ETF?” Video interview with Bryan Armour and Ruth Saldanha, Morningstar.com, June 14, 2023.

Securities Mentioned

iShares ESG Aware ETF ESGU

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF QUAL

ARK Innovation ETF ARKK

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (BTC) GBTC

JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF JEPI

Global X Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF QYLD

Vanguard’s High Dividend Yield ETF VYM

BlackRock Flexible Income ETF BINC

Schwab High Yield Bond ETF SCYB

T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Equity ETF TCAF

2x Bitcoin Strategy ETF BITX

YieldMax AI Option Income Strategy ETF AIYY

Other

“The ETF Rule: What It Is and Why It Matters,” by Irene Huhulea, Investopedia.com, Jan. 25, 2024.