2016 Morningstar ETF Conference

Since our first ETF Conference in 2010, the exchange-traded fund industry has continued to grow and evolve. ETFs are attracting an ever-larger share of assets as investors seek low-cost, passive investments, and a slew of new products has expanded the space from plain-vanilla equity index funds into more exotic products. But how can investors navigate this increasingly complex landscape to build better portfolios and position themselves in today's market?

This year's conference, Sept. 7- Sept. 9 in Chicago, will shed some light on ETF investors' best practices today, including panel discussions about the rise of strategic-beta funds, how to best invest in fixed income using ETFs, and using ETFs in retirement.

For those who can't attend this year's event, Morningstar.com offers on-the-spot coverage and commentary, including video interviews with the presenters.

Sonders: Bull Market Can Keep Chugging Along It might be a bumpy ride, but with the Fed poised for a slow increase in rates and valuations not radically out of line, U.S. stocks can keep moving higher.

Don't Expect Outperformance From Low Volatility Stocks Low volatility strategies have a role to play, but investors shouldn't expect to get higher long-run returns by taking on less risk, says Vanguard's John Ameriks.

Is Liquidity Really an Issue for Fixed-Income ETFs? Experts at the Morningstar ETF Conference define liquidity and discuss how bond-focused ETFs have managed during market duress.

Low-Volatility Strategies: Less Risk, More Reward? Panelists at the Morningstar ETF Conference offer explanations for why the low-volatility premium exists, and whether it can persist.

Savvy Sector Strategies Panelists at the Morningstar ETF Conference discuss what sector-based investing brings to the table, what the pitfalls are, and what sectors are attractive today.

Can You Successfully Time Factor Investing? Be aware of the two components of alpha: cyclical and persistent, says Rayliant Global Advisors' Jason Hsu.

Hsu: We All Time Investments—Poorly Rayliant CIO Jason Hsu says investors should tune out the noise of short-term performance and focus on being more contrarian.

What's Behind the Emerging-Markets Rally? WisdomTree's Jeremy Schwartz discusses emerging markets' performance drivers, valuations, and risks.

8 Investment Ideas Smaller companies, value stocks, and emerging-markets are among the best ideas from a trio of panelists at the Morningstar ETF Conference.

Using ETFs in a Retirement Plan ETFs can help investors effectively manage their assets for their most significant goal, said panelists at the Morningstar ETF Conference.