The Evolution of Fixed Income: From Security Selection to Systematic Building Blocks

Tuesday 28 April 2026 | 18:30 - 20:30 | Evening Event

Fixed income markets are undergoing a fundamental transformation. The traditional approach of selecting individual securities is giving way to a new paradigm—one where index-based, systematic building blocks are reshaping how institutional investors construct portfolios, manage risk, and generate returns. The growth of fixed income ETFs, futures, and total return swaps has created a universe of liquid, tradable tools that allow investors to take precise control of the key drivers of bond market performance: credit, term, and liquidity.

This shift challenges the familiar “active versus passive” framing. The reality is more nuanced—and more powerful. Increasingly, systematic index-based instruments are being used not as a replacement for active management, but as a complement to it. This is active with passive: a framework in which index products serve as efficient building blocks within actively managed portfolios, enabling better diversification, improved liquidity, and more targeted exposure than individual bond selection alone can deliver.

Drawing on original, data-led research, this event will explore the evidence behind this evolution and its practical implications for fixed income investors.

Key Learning Outcomes

•  Understand how the creation and growth of fixed income ETFs has transformed the opportunity set in fixed income, and how these instruments interact with the broader market ecosystem.
•  Evaluate the relative value proposition of index-based approaches compared to active individual bond selection, supported by original research and data.
• Assess the increasing liquidity and diversification available through the expanding universe of fixed income index products, including ETFs, futures, and total return swaps.
• Explore how systematic, index-based tools can be integrated within active fixed income strategies to gain more precise control over credit, term, and liquidity exposures.

Who Should Attend
Portfolio managers, asset owners, fixed income traders, asset allocators, and investment professionals seeking to understand how systematic, index-based tools can complement active fixed income strategies. 

Timings:

Registration: 18:00 
Event: 18:30 - 20:30 

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