Results for this question are presented in descending order of the 2016 responses. Consistent with last year, Morningstar.com garners the top spot for ETF research among providers, with over one-half of respondents indicating use of their online platform. And, just over 40% of RIAs indicate they use Morningstar’s ETF-specific research offering, notably higher than last year’s response rate of 33%. The ETF issuer websites continue to gain popularity as sources of information, with a 35% response rate in 2016, up 3 points year-over-year. Lipper, the primary competitor to Morningstar in mutual fund research, appears to have lost its momentum in the ETF research space. We had noted in prior years’ survey increased usage of Lipper’s service, but in 2016 it is utilized by only 9% of RIAs surveyed compared to 13% in 2015. ETF Trends shows greater usage year-to-year, at 12% vs 9% last year, but competitors ETF.com and ETF Guide are used by fewer RIAs this year. While Morningstar is the most comprehensive service, more than likely advisors access a combination of many of these sites as each have different strengths and weaknesses.
