BlackRock Cuts Active ETF Fees

The two funds quickly gathered $1.5 billion in aggregated assets on their first day of trading.

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Reviewed by: Heather Bell
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Edited by: Heather Bell

Just a few weeks after BlackRock’s actively managed “Carbon Transition” ETFs hit the market with a thunderous boom, the issuer made dramatic cuts to the funds’ expense ratios.

Upon launch, the BlackRock U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF (LCTU) gathered $1.25 billion in assets on its first day, making it the most successful ETF launch ever. The BlackRock World ex U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF (LCTD) didn’t do too badly either, garnering $475 million during the same time period.

Now, BlackRock has upped the stakes even further by slashing the prices on both funds. LCTU’s expense ratio was halved from 0.30% to 0.15%, while LCTD’s price was cut from 0.35% to 0.20%, effective April 27.

LCTU and LCTD both invest in companies that are likely to benefit from global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The move brings their pricing into closer alignment with the globally focused iShares MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (CRBN) and the SPDR MSCI ACWI Low Carbon Target ETF (LOWC), which both tilt their portfolios toward companies with lower carbon footprints. Those ETFs charge 0.15% and 0.14%, respectively.

Contact Heather Bell at [email protected]

Heather Bell is a managing editor with etf.com. Prior to joining the company, she held editorial positions at Dow Jones Indexes and Lehman Brothers. Bell is a graduate of Dartmouth college and a one-time Jeopardy! champion. She resides in the Denver area with her two dogs, and enjoys hiking in the mountains and frequenting the city’s excellent bookstores.