Schwab Jumps Into ETF Race

Charles Schwab has set his sights on the ETF industry in an effort to stay on the cutting edge in a rapidly changing investment environment.

Passive proprietary models from firms like Charles Schwab (SCHW) will soon go toe to toe with firms like iShares in the fight for rapidly increasing share volume.

ETFs are becoming part of the larger strategy at firms such as Vanguard, Fidelity and Pimco, and the future of the ETF industry will be with large companies like Schwab, looking to diversify their investment offerings.

Schwab is in a good position to stake out the new ETF territory. While other money managers felt the pullback caused by economic distress, Schwab brought in $113 billion though brokerage services and funds.

Charles Schwab

According to Barron's Leslie P. Norton, this figure is larger than what Citigroup(C), Morgan Stanley(MS), Merrill Lynch, E Trade (ETFC) and TD Ameritrade (AMTD) brought in combined. Schwab currently has $1.1 trillion across all of its businesses. Norton also notes that it is the country's 13 largest fund complex, with $242 billion in assets.

As new firms enter the ETF fray, the race is on to offer the cheapest versions of popular funds. Many Vanguard ETFs, and early Pimco ETFs, are directly taking aim at pricier iShares funds. This is a process that Schwab will most likely meet head on.

In May, Schwab cut the expense ratio of its Schwab S&P 500 Index (SWPIX) to 0.09%, a fee which is less than the Vanguard 500 Index (FVINX) fund. As investors start to look for one-stop shopping of mutual funds, ETFs, and fixed-income products, the manager with the lowest fees and largest assets will be the most competitive.