Copycat ETFs Are Infiltrating a ‘Finders Keepers’ Tickers Market

Sticking out from the Wall Street crowd is no easy feat at the best of times. Now imagine the plight of money managers across the ever-competitive investment industry, who are struggling to assert ownership of their original ETF offerings as rival firms launch imitator products with strikingly similar tickers.

That’s what happened to VanEck. The asset manager is an early pioneer of tying a fund’s investment theme with its ticker name – a now make-or-break practice for issuers keen to ensure their strategies stick in the minds of investors. After it launched an agriculture-focused fund in the US in 2007 ...