Inside Active by Bloomberg Intelligence

Baillie Gifford’s Coutts, Burns Look Beyond US 02.06.2026 36min

Europe and Japan’s earnings outlooks have improved, with double-digit growth expectations, though upgrades are concentrated in technology and energy, while inflation pressures could weigh on valuations. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and co-host Laurent Douillet, senior equity strategist at BI, speak with Tom Coutts and Lawrence Burns, portfolio managers at Baillie Gifford, and subadvisers on the Vanguard International Growth Fund (VWIGX). They discuss why investors should still look beyond the US for long-term growth opportunities and how Baillie Gifford identifies durable growth companies. The conversation also explores international beneficiaries of the AI boom, why Japan is becoming more attractive, and how to balance valuation discipline with backing exceptional businesses over the long run. Recorded May 21.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American Beacon’s Cavazos on Durable Managers 26.05.2026 27min

As investors gain access to an expanding universe of active strategies and investment structures, distinguishing durable investment skill from short-term performance has become increasingly important. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active-management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Paul Cavazos, chief investment officer at American Beacon Advisors, about what separates durable investment managers from those benefiting from favorable market environments. They discuss why philosophy, process and people matter more than recent returns, how quantitative and qualitative analysis complement each other in manager research, and why discipline and consistency often matter most during difficult market periods. The conversation also explores concentration risk, style drift, private markets and how manager oversight can help identify when an investment process begins to break down. Recorded May 21.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Massif Capital’s Thomson on Real-Asset Equities 19.05.2026 35min

Shifting geopolitical risks, growing AI-driven power demand and consolidation across global energy markets are reshaping investment opportunities in oil, natural gas and real assets. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and Vincent Piazza, senior energy analyst at BI, speak with Will Thomson, founder and managing partner of Massif Capital LLC. They discuss investing across energy, mining and other liquid real assets, and why commodity-producing companies are often misunderstood as simple bets on commodity prices. The conversation also explores how Thomson combines bottom-up company research with macro views on commodities and geopolitics, and why management teams, project execution and overlooked “orphan periods” can create opportunities for active managers, as well as structural natural gas trends and the challenge of managing volatility in cyclical sectors. Recorded May 5.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

State Street’s Paglia on Performance and Scale 12.05.2026 31min

Over the past decade, expanded market access through ETFs and new structures has raised questions about capacity, outcomes and what it means for active management. In this episode of the Inside Active podcast, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Anna Paglia, executive vice president and chief business officer for State Street Investment Management, about how the industry is moving beyond the traditional active-versus-passive debate as ETFs evolve into a vehicle for both. They explore how strong benchmarks and investor focus on returns are raising the bar for active managers, and how capacity and liquidity shape decisions around product structure. They also discuss the role of model portfolios in driving flows and the potential to expand access to private markets by improving transparency and liquidity. Recorded May 4.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alger’s Crawford on Finding Durable Growth 05.05.2026 32min

Markets have recently been driven by a narrow set of AI-linked winners, but as these trends become widely recognized, the challenge is identifying what opportunities remain and what is already priced in. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Dr. Ankur Crawford, executive vice president and portfolio manager at Alger, including the Alger Focus Equity Fund (ALGRX) and Alger Concentrated Equity ETF (CNEQ), about how she identifies positive dynamic change across both disruptive growth companies and businesses undergoing reinvention. They explore how a longer-term investment horizon helps distinguish durable growth from hype, the role of deep research and pricing power in building conviction and how valuation shapes opportunities in AI. They also discuss concentrated portfolio construction, risk management and what differentiates being early from being wrong. Recorded April 21.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Avantis’ McInnis on Active vs. Passive Spectrum 28.04.2026 34min

Over the past decade, passive investing has dominated flows and performance, but the rapid growth of ETFs and evolving market dynamics are blurring the line between active and passive. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Phil McInnis, chief investment strategist at Avantis Investors, about how investors should think about this shift. They explore why active and passive exist more on a spectrum rather than as binary opposites, how systematic, valuation-driven approaches aim to deliver consistent excess returns, and why costs and implementation remain critical to long-term outcomes. They also discuss the rise of active ETFs, how allocators build portfolios across strategies, and what would signal a durable shift back toward active management. Recorded April 15.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BlackRock’s Jeff Shen on Systematic Edge and AI 22.04.2026 40min

Despite geopolitical tensions, value has held up better than expected, while defensive strategies like low volatility and quality have failed to attract the typical safe-haven flows, suggesting markets are largely looking past the Iran war. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and co-host Christopher Cain, US quantitative strategist at BI, speak with Jeff Shen, co-chief investment officer and co-head of BlackRock’s Systematic Active Equities. They discuss the evolution of systematic active equity and how advances in data, AI and machine learning are reshaping alpha generation. The conversation also explores factor timing, expansion beyond traditional factors into alternative data and new signals, and how portfolio construction and risk management are driving more consistent and differentiated outcomes. Recorded March 31.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

T. Rowe’s Rizzo on Finding Technology Winners 14.04.2026 40min

Over the past decade, technology investing has been dominated by a handful of mega-cap companies, but AI is opening the door to a broader and potentially very different set of future winners. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active-management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Dominic Rizzo, portfolio manager of the T. Rowe Price Global Technology Equity Fund (PRGTX) and the T. Rowe Price Technology ETF (TTEQ), about his investment framework. They explore how Rizzo identifies linchpin technologies and improving fundamentals, and why active managers may be better positioned than passive strategies to uncover the next generation of tech winners. The conversation also covers valuation, portfolio concentration, AI’s effect on productivity and growth, and how private companies like OpenAI and Anthropic fit into the opportunity set. This episode was recorded March 30.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tweedy, Browne’s Spears and Hill on Insider Value 07.04.2026 36min

As value investing has lagged behind in a market led by a narrow group of large-cap growth stocks, insider buying has remained a closely watched signal, particularly during periods of volatility. In this episode of the Inside Active podcast, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, spoke with John Spears and Jay Hill, managing directors with Tweedy, Browne and portfolio managers for the Insider + Value ETF (COPY) and International Insider + Value ETF (ICPY) about combining those ideas into a systematic investment approach. They discuss how they define value today, why insider buying can be a powerful signal, how they separate meaningful trades from noise and how they build portfolios designed to capture the strategy’s long-term results. This episode was recorded on March 24.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vanguard’s Johnson on the Bond ETF Shift 31.03.2026 29min

Active fixed-income ETFs are entering a new phase of growth, driven by investor demand, structural advantages and expanding product breadth. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Jeff Johnson, head of Fixed Income Product at Vanguard, about the rapid rise of active bond ETFs and why fixed income remains a compelling space for active management. They discuss Vanguard’s expansion beyond its indexing roots, the appeal of ETFs for flexibility, liquidity and cost efficiency, and the key design challenges of active strategies in an ETF wrapper, including daily portfolio disclosure and scalability. The conversation also explores where flows are moving across short duration, core and higher-yielding strategies. Recorded March 19.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strategas’ Todd Sohn on the Active ETF Boom 24.03.2026 24min

Active ETFs may be in a golden age, not just a hot streak, driven by product innovation, lower structural frictions, conversions and potential ETF share classes. In this episode of the Inside Active podcast, host David Cohne, a mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, along with co-host Athanasios Psarofagis, an ETF analyst at BI, speak with Todd Sohn, chief ETF strategist at Strategas Securities. They discuss the current state of the active ETF market, including the breadth of flows across asset classes, the rise of outcome-oriented products and whether crowded areas like buffers and certain derivative-based strategies have become overhyped. They also examine which products helped redefine the category, where active ETFs are taking share and underappreciated areas of future growth such as small-cap, fixed income and alternatives. This episode was recorded on March 16.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

CrossingBridge’s Sherman on Return of Capital 17.03.2026 45min

Rating agencies have been broadly positive, but their outlook is turning more cautious — especially in high yield — as geopolitical risks rise and spreads remain tight. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, along with co-host Sam Geier, corporate credit strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, speak with David Sherman, founder and chief investment officer of CrossingBridge Advisors and a portfolio manager of the RiverPark Strategic Income Fund (RSIIX). Sherman explains why protecting return of capital matters more than chasing return on capital, how he applies a value-investing discipline to credit markets and where he’s finding opportunity in an expensive environment, including in the Nordic bond market. The conversation also explores the K-shaped divide in corporate credit fundamentals, the evolving distressed landscape and why liquidity premiums may be the most underappreciated risk in fixed income today. The podcast was recorded on March 3.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Horizon’s Stahl on Letting Winners Run 10.03.2026 36min

In a market shaped by index concentration and short-term performance pressures, contrarian strategies are leaning into opportunities others may not have the patience or liquidity to own. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Murray Stahl, CEO, CIO and co-founder of Horizon Kinetics and a portfolio manager for the Paradigm Fund (WWNPX). They discuss the firm’s long-horizon contrarian philosophy, grounded in Stahl’s view that investors optimize for one-year grading periods, and its concept of an equity yield curve to explain why long-duration opportunities can be overlooked. The conversation also covers the fund’s willingness to let winners compound rather than trim positions, the tax considerations behind concentration, Stahl’s framework for Bitcoin exposure and why he views private investments as a natural extension of the strategy in an era of index dominance. The podcast was recorded on Feb. 18.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Northern Trust’s Abner on Distributing Ladders 03.03.2026 36min

Active ETFs, especially in fixed income, are surging as 10,000 Americans retire each day and demand grows for predictable, outcome-oriented income solutions for the trillions of dollars held in retirement accounts. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Dave Abner, head of global ETFs and funds at Northern Trust Asset Management. They discuss Northern Trust’s distributing ladder ETFs and the evolving opportunity set in municipal bond ETFs, while also examining why active ETFs are hitting a “hockey stick” growth moment. The conversation explores how automation and market-structure shifts may be reshaping traditional alpha opportunities in fixed income and what that means for risk-taking and portfolio construction. The podcast was recorded on Feb. 26.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lazard’s Nahal on Capturing Long-Term Megatrends 24.02.2026 41min

The US remains central to AI leadership, but investors should expect broader, more global opportunities to emerge in 2026. In this episode of the Inside Active podcast, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and co-host Breanne Dougherty, BI’s head of thematic strategy, speak with Sarbjit Nahal, a portfolio manager and analyst with the Global Thematic Equity team at Lazard Asset Management, which manages the Lazard Equity Megatrends ETF (THMZ). They discuss the role of thematic investing in capturing future wealth, how Lazard identifies megatrends, why megatrend investing is critical for navigating structural shifts and the importance of valuation discipline. The conversation also explores the growing significance of power and infrastructure in the age of AI, as well as rising interest in thematic investing among institutional investors and younger generations. The podcast was recorded on Feb. 9.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simplify’s Michael Green on Passive Distortions 17.02.2026 42min

True passive investing may not exist, as all investing ultimately involves active decisions. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, along with co-host James Seyffart, senior ETF analyst at BI, spoke with Michael Green, portfolio manager and chief strategist at Simplify Asset Management, about the implications of passive investing’s dominance and the challenges facing active managers. They discuss how large index-tracking product flows may be reducing market elasticity, distorting price discovery and contributing to systemic risks. The conversation also explores whether active strategies can adapt and find opportunities in an increasingly index-driven market. The podcast was recorded on Feb. 10.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Acuitas’ Chris Tessin on the Case for Micro Caps 10.02.2026 34min

Bloomberg’s Market Pulse gauge hit an official manic condition at the end of January, where defensive sectors tend to outperform cyclicals and small caps often lag large caps. In this episode of the Inside Active podcast, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and co-host Michael Casper, BI’s senior US equity strategist, speak with Christopher Tessin, a founder and managing partner of Acuitas Investments and lead portfolio manager for the Acuitas US Microcap Fund (AFMCX), about the firm’s multimanager approach to micro-cap investing. They discuss why the most critical factor in evaluating managers is idea-generation skill, not historical returns alone and why the greatest inefficiencies and alpha opportunities exist at the smallest end of the market-cap spectrum. The conversation also explores why quality matters more in micro caps and why Tessin is bullish on small and micro caps after a long period of underperformance. The podcast was recorded on Feb. 5.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rockefeller’s Petrone on Active Muni Advantages 03.02.2026 24min

Actively managed municipal bond funds continue to attract strong investor interest, with active mutual funds taking in over $24 billion and active muni ETFs seeing over $22 billion in net flows last year. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaks with Alex Petrone, head of fixed income and of distribution for the Americas at Rockefeller Capital Management, about the advantages of active management in the municipal bond market. They discuss why the steep municipal yield curve presents compelling investment opportunities, how active managers can exploit inefficiencies in a highly fragment market and why municipal bonds have historically shown resilience during economic downturns. The conversation also explores how technology is reshaping municipal credit research and portfolio construction. The podcast was recorded on Jan. 27.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

JPMorgan’s Reiner, McNerny on Active ETF Income 27.01.2026 46min

For JPMorgan’s income managers, discipline means delivering predictable outcomes through rigorous risk management rather than chasing headline yield. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, a mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and co-host Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst at BI, speak with Hamilton Reiner, managing director and CIO of the US Core Equity Team, and James McNerny, managing director and portfolio manager within the Global Liquidity business. They discuss the growing appeal of equity income strategies like the JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI), why the fund is designed around predictable outcomes rather than maximizing yield and how index-level options allow JPMorgan to generate income without sacrificing stock selection. The conversation also explores why the JPMorgan Ultra-Short Income ETF (JPST) is positioned as a deliberate step beyond cash, how the team prioritizes liquidity and capital preservation and why tight controls on credit and spread risk matter in volatile markets. The podcast was recorded on Jan. 13.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth on Active ETFs in 2026 21.01.2026 39min

Actively managed ETFs took in nearly $500 billion in 2025, indicating growing confidence in active strategies in the ETF wrapper. In this episode of Inside Active, host David Cohne, mutual fund and active management analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, and co-host Athanasios Psarofagis, a BI ETF analyst, speak with Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at TMX VettaFi, about the growth of active ETFs, the impact of market conditions, the role of brand and the challenges of overcrowding in the space. They also discussed the implications of share-class conversions, how advisers are using active ETFs, what will determine the success of new products and why some active strategies are better left in mutual funds. The podcast was recorded on Jan. 7.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.