Active with Passive: The evolution of fixed income: From security selection to systematic building blocks

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

This event has been sponsored by S&P Dow Jones Indices.  

 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 and manage risk. The growth of fixed income ETFs, futures and total return swaps has created a universe of liquid, tradable tools that allow investors to tap into 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 solutions 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-based products serve as building blocks within actively managed portfolios, with the potential for enhanced diversification, improved liquidity and more targeted strategies than individual bond selection 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 calibrate by credit, term and liquidity 
  

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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