iShares can play that game too.

In an effort to attract retail investors and keep them away from Vanguard [profile] , BlackRock's [profile] ETF arm will expand its core series to include managed-ETF portfolios, InvestmentNews' Jason Kephart writes.

The low-cost ETFs were launched as Vanguard gained more market share, Kephart writes, pointing out that its market share has risen from 19 percent from 9 percent in 2009 as iShares dropped 7 percent. Vanguard also raked in $36.6 billion in new money through the end of last month, compared to iShares' $17.3 billion in net deposits, Kephart reports.

In other Vanguard ETF news, IndexUniverse's Cinthia Murphy writes that there will be a 1-for-2 reverse split on Vanguard S&P 500 ETF to lower transaction costs. The split will be effective October 24 and will double the price for shares of the fund and decrease the number of outstanding shares by half, Murphy writes.

Murphy writes of the decision to lower transaction costs for an ETF that has an expense ratio of 0.05 percent, "Pushing to lower costs is very emblematic of how Vanguard--now the biggest mutual fund company in the world--has positioned itself. But the move also speaks to the increased maturity of ETFs and ETF trading, highlighting the reality that a fund's overall costs to investors go well beyond expense ratios alone."

To read more, click here and here  

Edited by: Casey Quinlan


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