There are over 120 U.S. ETF issuers, but only one has more than $1 trillion in assets, over 300 products and knows what it is like to beat Vanguard: BlackRock. The asset manager made the equivalent of the Louisiana Purchase when it acquired iShares from Barclays in 2009, a move that has made them the most dominant player in the industry. Joel and Eric interview Martin Small, head of U.S. iShares, about ETFs, investing and his insatiable appetite for guitars. 

There are over 120 U.S. ETF issuers, but only one has more than $1 trillion in assets, over 300 products and knows what it is like to beat Vanguard: BlackRock. The asset manager made the equivalent of the Louisiana Purchase when it acquired iShares from Barclays in 2009, a move that has made them the most dominant player in the industry. Joel and Eric interview Martin Small, head of U.S. iShares, about ETFs, investing and his insatiable appetite for guitars.

Money goes where it’s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that’s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them—and hopefully delight you in the process.

Money goes where it&rsquo;s treated best. That simple truth is a big reason why more and more money (trillions, in fact) flows into a powerful, low-cost tool that&rsquo;s quietly transformed investing. Exchange-traded funds let you invest in everything from the stock market to gold like never before. This biweekly podcast will demystify them&mdash;and hopefully delight you in the process.

Joel Weber and Eric Balchunas demystify the world of exchange-traded funds, or ETFs.

Trillions

Looking Into BlackRock's Crystal Ball

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/01474117-9259-42d6-9505-ae3c00329f49/transcript

SpaceX's record IPO quickly turned into a feeding frenzy in the ETF industry. Within days, about a dozen leveraged funds tied to the company — many of them almost identical — launched at the same time, setting off a battle for assets, attention and trading volume. The frenzy is reminiscent of the rush to launch spot Bitcoin ETFs. And obviously there are many other noteworthy new ETF launches.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber — joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee — dig into some new ETFs to watch. They discuss which leveraged SpaceX fund may emerge as the winner (SPCU), how to bet against AI (AIDQ), Vanguard's long-awaited entry into high-yield bonds (VCHY), another addition to Corgi's rapidly expanding lineup (CBIL), and a Bitcoin fund (BTCK) that may have arrived a little late to the party. 

SpaceX's record IPO quickly turned into a feeding frenzy in the ETF industry. Within days, about a dozen leveraged funds tied to the company &mdash; many of them almost identical &mdash; launched at the same time, setting off a battle for assets, attention and trading volume. The frenzy is reminiscent of the rush to launch spot Bitcoin ETFs. And obviously there are many other noteworthy new ETF launches.
On this episode of&nbsp;Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber &mdash; joined by Bloomberg News cross-asset reporter Isabelle Lee &mdash; dig into some new ETFs to watch. They discuss which leveraged SpaceX fund may emerge as the winner (SPCU), how to bet against AI (AIDQ), Vanguard's long-awaited entry into high-yield bonds (VCHY), another addition to Corgi's rapidly expanding lineup (CBIL), and a Bitcoin fund (BTCK) that may have arrived a little late to the party.&nbsp;

New ETFs to Watch: 2x SpaceX, -3x AI, Plus Bonds and Bitcoin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/0846cf86-1ae0-4d47-bb74-b473010d7117/transcript

In the asset management industry, there are two undisputed heavyweights: BlackRock and Vanguard. They rival each other in almost every category, but this month Vanguard overtook BlackRock as the largest US ETF issuer — a title BlackRock had held for two decades. Despite their dominance, the two firms have very different reputations, cultures and approaches.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Manuela Sperandeo, co-head of European iShares at BlackRock, and Jonathan Cleborne, managing director for Vanguard Europe. They discuss the rise of ETFs in Europe, passive investing in a market increasingly dominated by a handful of giant companies, and what it's like to compete with one another. This episode was recorded live at the ETFs in Depth Conference at Bloomberg's London headquarters.

In the asset management industry, there are two undisputed heavyweights: BlackRock and Vanguard. They rival each other in almost every category, but this month Vanguard overtook BlackRock as the largest US ETF issuer &mdash; a title BlackRock had held for two decades. Despite their dominance, the two firms have very different reputations, cultures and approaches.
On this episode of&nbsp;Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Manuela Sperandeo, co-head of European iShares at BlackRock, and Jonathan Cleborne, managing director for Vanguard Europe. They discuss the rise of ETFs in Europe, passive investing in a market increasingly dominated by a handful of giant companies, and what it's like to compete with one another. This episode was recorded live at the ETFs in Depth Conference at Bloomberg's London headquarters.

Clash of the Titans: BlackRock and Vanguard LIVE

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/13d19a26-7365-4d12-ba94-b46d0141afa2/transcript

Earlier this year, investors got hammered by the "SaaSpocalypse." The rise of AI sparked fears that software companies would need fewer workers, sell fewer licenses and spend heavily on technology with uncertain payoffs. Yet just a few months later, one little-known ETF — with only $2.5 million in assets — is quietly suggesting that software's death may have been slightly exaggerated.

On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence ETF associate Andrey Yapp about another ETF that's having a moment: Themes Cloud Computing ETF (ticker CLOD). They discuss what makes the ETF's holdings interesting, how recent earnings challenged the AI-doom narrative, and how such a tiny fund emerged as one worth watching.

Earlier this year, investors got hammered by the "SaaSpocalypse." The rise of AI sparked fears that software companies would need fewer workers, sell fewer licenses and spend heavily on technology with uncertain payoffs. Yet just a few months later, one little-known ETF &mdash; with only $2.5 million in assets &mdash; is quietly suggesting that software's death may have been slightly exaggerated. On this episode of Trillions, Eric Balchunas and Joel Weber speak with Bloomberg Intelligence ETF associate Andrey Yapp about another ETF that's having a moment: Themes Cloud Computing ETF (ticker CLOD). They discuss what makes the ETF's holdings interesting, how recent earnings challenged the AI-doom narrative, and how such a tiny fund emerged as one worth watching.

ETF of the Moment: Software Isn't Dead, Yet

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/421e318e-7915-4122-bcdf-b46501346df6/transcript

Looking Into BlackRock's Crystal Ball

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