In a recent episode of Behind the Ticker, Kirsten Chang, Director of Editorial and Content at VettaFi, shared insights into her journey from CNBC to her current role, as well as details about the upcoming Exchange ETF Conference, the largest ETF industry event of the year. With over a decade of experience at CNBC—working on Squawk Box, covering markets from the floor of the NYSE with Bob Pisani, and helping launch ETF Edge—Chang transitioned to VettaFi to further develop her own voice and contribute to the growing ETF landscape.
About Kirsten Chang and VettaFi
Chang explained that VettaFi is more than just the organizer of the Exchange conference. It serves as an index provider, a data analytics firm, and a digital distribution company focused on bridging the gap between advisors and ETF issuers. With over 4,000 ETFs available in the market, VettaFi helps investors and financial professionals sift through the noise by offering research, webcasts, and educational content. Through its partnerships with asset managers, the firm provides timely insights on ETF flows, market trends, and new product developments.
Investment Strategy and Approach
The discussion then shifted to the Exchange ETF Conference, now taking place in Las Vegas after years in Miami. Chang highlighted that the conference is designed to offer advisors actionable insights and analysis, with sessions covering everything from private credit and hedge fund-led multi-asset ETFs to the explosive growth of active ETFs. The event brings together the biggest names in the industry, including keynote speakers like David Kelly and Ian Bremmer, and features panels on thematic investing, ESG trends, crypto, AI, and international equities. With record-breaking fixed income ETF flows and the continued rise of AI-related investments, the conference aims to provide a roadmap for advisors navigating today’s markets.
Chang also emphasized Exchange’s focus on networking and community building, calling it the must-attend event for anyone in the ETF space. She shared details on new initiatives like the Putt for Pink charity event benefiting Susan G. Komen, a March Madness basketball connect-four game hosted by State Street, and an interactive app that allows attendees to schedule meetings and customize their experience.
Deeper Dive: Insights from the Full Conversation
Beyond the headline strategy, the full conversation between Brad and Kirsten Chang covered several additional themes worth highlighting for advisors and investors.
On Process and Philosophy
He just launched his new kind of bottom feeders ETF, the research deletion ETF last year. So lots of characters there will have state street, global advisors and bridge water. Things that gives from both heavy weights and the asset management industry. They'll be on stage with my colleague Todd Rosenblitz to delve into their brand new all weather ETF that just launched yesterday. You know, it's the first ETF that really offers that hedge fund strategy to the average retail investor.
So it'll be interesting to see what he's watching given thematics of kind of fall into the wayside over the past year or so. So we'll see if those pick up this year as more investors looked at Chase Alfa, which is also got an interesting international equity panel with three edge and research affiliates, which is a very timely topic in today's economic environment. Again, AI, Surging Power Demand, the crypto panel led by Eric Balchunes, Bloomberg, always great on those and that ESG session again.
Market Context and Positioning
In terms of, I guess, other speakers, David Kelly, again, great, great speaker, chief global strategist, something of a rock star now among our advisor audience. So we're going to go in and deep with one of the largest active managers in the space, him and John Mayer of JP Morgan. Oh, and here's the fun. When we have one called Money Lines and Markets, where Mike Durso, from Shore Haven's going to talk to Mike Palm of circus sports, and they're kind of drawing the parallels between investing and sports betting, because there's a surprising amount of quantitative analysis and strategy behind sports betting that can be applied to investing.
Welcome to Beyond the ticker. Today we have on Kirsten Chang, she is from Vettify and we are talking about the exchange ETF conference, which is right around the corner. It is the big one, 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of March. We will be in Vegas this year, everybody in the ETF industry, the whole landscape, as well as hundreds and hundreds of financial advisors, there is plenty to do.
So whatever resonated at the conference was really what to rove, investor, and advisor interest for the rest of the year. So I was always very fascinated by that community. I think I've started my day off for the last 20 years with Squawk Box.
And you know, speaking of new launches, lots of buzz again around the new private credit ETFs. Quite a few eyebrows raised there. So we'll hit on this when we talk fixed income with bond blocks and FM investments. Those are two big innovators in the bond ETF space. And you know, fixed income, again, top of mind for many after a record year for fixed income ETF flows. Then we also also got my colleague Roxanna Islam, just going to be talking about under the radar thematic tech trends with an active portfolio manager at TRO.
Notable Insights
"So we're bringing all the biggest issuers and asset management provide, you know, they're there, they're part of our partnership."
"Because I think that's the real importance of that, of that community, ever, ever vessance and kind of feeding off the energy that you get when you're in person with all these people."
Key Takeaways
- Through its partnerships with asset managers, the firm provides timely insights on ETF flows, market trends, and new product developments.
- Chang highlighted that the conference is designed to offer advisors actionable insights and analysis, with sessions covering everything from private credit and hedge fund-led multi-asset ETFs to the explosive growth of active ETFs.
- The event brings together the biggest names in the industry, including keynote speakers like David Kelly and Ian Bremmer, and features panels on thematic investing, ESG trends, crypto, AI, and international equities.
- With record-breaking fixed income ETF flows and the continued rise of AI-related investments, the conference aims to provide a roadmap for advisors navigating today’s markets.
- Komen, a March Madness basketball connect-four game hosted by State Street, and an interactive app that allows attendees to schedule meetings and customize their experience.
What This Means for Advisors
For financial advisors evaluating options for client portfolios, this conversation with Kirsten Chang highlights important considerations around income investing. Understanding the strategy behind each fund—not just the ticker—helps advisors make more informed allocation decisions and better communicate the rationale to clients.
The themes of income investing and esg & thematic discussed in this episode are particularly relevant in the current market environment, where advisors are increasingly looking for differentiated solutions that go beyond traditional benchmarks.
Listen to the Full Episode
This article is based on an episode of Behind the Ticker, hosted by Brad Roth, Founder and CIO of THOR Financial Technologies. For the full conversation with Kirsten Chang, including additional nuances and details, listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube.