Goldman Sachs Asset Management is making a big bet on defined outcome exchange-traded funds — also known as buffer ETFs, which use options to help protect against market losses.This month, Goldman Sachs agreed to buy defined outcome ETF provider Innovator Capital Management for $2 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.Bryon Lake, co-head of the firm's Third-Party Wealth team, expects the funds to be a major growth engine for the industry."We did this deal with Innovator. We'v ...

It’s a good day to be a buffer. Last week, Goldman Sachs announced plans to acquire defined-outcome ETF provider Innovator Capital Management in a deal worth $2 billion. The move will catapult Goldman from an early-stage defined-outcome issuer, having launched its first buffer products in 2023, to the second-largest player. As new product providers continue to spring up — some 50 ETF brands could launch this year, according to VettaFi investment strategist Cinthia Murphy — issuer consolidation is expected ...

Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Market update: Stocks are slightly lower Monday to start December. The market is coming off a strong Thanksgiving week in which the S & P 500 rallied almost 4%, pushing its monthly return into positive territory. It was the seventh straight month of gains for the benchmark gauge. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq jumped over 4% last week, but it wasn ...

(Bloomberg) -- Goldman Sachs Group Inc. will pay $2 billion to buy Innovator Capital Management, a deal that combines the bank with an issuer of a relatively new type of exchange-traded fund that has caught the attention and ire of some on Wall Street.Wheaton, Illinois-based Innovator — which has over $28 billion of assets under supervision across more than 150 ETFs — specializes in defined-outcome ETFs, which seek to limit investors’ downside risk in exchange for capping upside potential, and have been pop ...

Core Insights - Defined outcome ETFs are projected to grow fivefold to $334 billion in AUM by 2030 from $69 billion today, driven by increasing demand from baby boomer clients and faster home-office approvals by broker/dealers [1][2] Group 1: Market Growth Potential - Cerulli estimates an annual growth rate of 29% to 35% for defined outcome ETFs over the next five years, which is at least double the projected growth in the broader ETF market [2] - The growth is attributed to the increasing interest from advisors and their clients, particularly as baby boomers approach retirement [2][4] Group 2: Investor Preferences - Defined outcome ETFs provide downside risk protection, typically covering the first 10% to 15% of losses, making them attractive to investors nearing retirement [3] - A survey indicated that as investors age, they prioritize downside protection over market outperformance, with 61% of investors aged 50-59 and 83% of those aged 70 and above expressing this preference [4] Group 3: Advisor Considerations - Advisors appreciate the liquidity and tax efficiency of defined outcome ETFs compared to structured notes and variable annuities [5] - The use of packaged investment products like model portfolios may enhance advisors' reliance on defined outcome ETFs, allowing for customization based on clients' risk tolerance and investment horizons [5][6] Group 4: Adoption Challenges - Despite increasing inquiries from pre-retirement investors, broker/dealers and wirehouses have not widely adopted defined outcome ETFs due to their complexity compared to traditional equity ETFs [7] - The variability of outcomes based on investment timing poses additional challenges for these channels in adapting to defined outcome ETFs [7]

Core Insights - The U.S. ETF industry is experiencing rapid growth, with net inflows in 2025 surpassing the previous record of $1.2 trillion set in 2024, indicating a shift towards price-based segments with distinct product offerings and market leaders [1] Low-Cost Segment - The low-cost segment, defined as ETFs with net expense ratios of 0.25% and below, accounted for 79% of the U.S. ETF market by assets as of November 7, 2025, with the "Big 3" (Vanguard, BlackRock, State Street) holding an 82% combined market share [2] - Traditional beta ETFs, which provide market-cap weighted indexed exposure, make up 88% of the low-cost segment, with an asset-weighted fee of only 0.09% [3] - State Street announced a ticker change and fee cut for the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPYM) on October 31, 2025, while Vanguard reduced expense ratios for 53 ETFs in February 2025 [3] Medium-Cost Segment - Active ETFs are increasingly displacing smart beta ETFs in the medium-cost segment (net expense ratios between 0.26% and 0.75%), highlighting a growing demand for active strategies [4] - BlackRock and State Street dominate this segment, but firms like Capital Group and JP Morgan are rapidly gaining market share with their active management strategies [5] - Actively managed dividend ETFs have seen significant inflows, contrasting with outflows from indexed dividend ETFs like SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) and iShares Select Dividend ETF (DVY) [6] High-Cost Segment - The high-cost segment is led by leveraged and buffer ETFs, with major players including ProShares, Direxion, and Innovator Management [7] - Leveraged and inverse ETFs account for nearly one-third of all high-cost ETFs by assets, while buffer ETFs have consistently attracted over $10 billion in net inflows annually since 2022 [9] Future Outlook - Over 40% of new ETFs launched in the U.S. in 2025 were in the high-price segment, including single-stock ETFs, although their success rate is generally low [11] - Vanguard and BlackRock may expand their presence in active ETFs, which could lead to fee compression in the medium-cost segment, benefiting investors with lower costs and more product options [10]

Group 1 - The focus is on income-producing asset classes such as REITs, ETFs, Preferreds, and 'Dividend Champions' that target premium dividend yields up to 10% [1] - iREIT®+HOYA Capital is highlighted as a premier income-focused investing service that offers sustainable portfolio income, diversification, and inflation hedging opportunities [2] - The article discusses the transition from high exposure to large-cap stocks to a more diversified investment strategy that includes buffer funds, CEFs, ETFs, BDCs, and REITs [3]