Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
FYI: How can active asset managers survive without the heft of being an industry giant? One path is to dominate a mix of eclectic areas, especially those not easily replicated by passive funds. That is exactly the strategy Eaton Vance is pursuing.
The Boston-based Eaton Vance (ticker: EV) oversees $453 billion and has strong positioning in areas like floating-rate bonds, strategic beta with its Parametric business, and responsible investing with its 2016 purchase of Calvert Investment Management. Keefe Bruyette Woods analyst Robert Lee also gives the company credit for a willingness to try new things, like NextShares, a new breed of funds that is part active and part passive. They launched last year but have struggled to gain traction.
