ETF assets have grown for four consecutive months, ending May with more than US$2.1 trillion, says a report by analytics firm Cerulli Associates.

Flows into the vehicle were positive at US$13 billion, but were down slightly April, Cerulli's monthly report on product trends adds.

Mutual fund asset growth slowed to 0.2% during May after increasing more than 1% in April. Flows for the month came in at US$20.8 billion, with passive funds accounting for 64%.

While smaller in assets to other types of investment strategies, managed volatility strategies have grown rapidly in the years following the global financial crisis. It is a type of asset allocation strategy that has found several specific institutional applications, including in liability-driven investing programs.

Retirement specialist advisors generate at least 50% of revenue from retirement plans and a number of managers identified this cohort of advisors as their focal point for new business. Managers will benefit from understanding how these advisors conduct due diligence, how they construct portfolios, where they source product data, and the types of plans that they work with.