Name: ETF Edge: The 2026 ETF Playbook - What investors can expect
Uploaded: 2026-01-06T23:10:05+00:00
Duration: 1073 s

Speakers

Jay Jacobs — US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock

Todd Rosenbluth — Head of Research, TMX VettaFI

Summary

CNBC's ETF Edge 2026 playbook discussion features BlackRock's Jay Jacobs and VettaFi's Todd Rosenbluth outlining ETF themes for the year. Jay Jacobs focuses on targeted AI growth, new income sources, diversification via liquid alternatives, concentration-management ETFs, and early crypto ETF adoption. Todd Rosenbluth highlights continuing AI and nuclear energy themes, a possible small-cap rebound in a lower-rate environment, and sticky Bitcoin ETF allocations. They also touch on active ETFs, alternative income products, and mutual-fund-to-ETF share-class developments.

Jay Jacobs outlines three 2026 ETF buckets: growth/AI, income, and diversification.
BlackRock's Jay Jacobs highlights active AI ETF BAI, income funds BALI/BQ, concentration tools TOPT/OEF, and liquid alts.
Todd Rosenbluth sees AI and AI-adjacent nuclear energy trends continuing.
Rosenbluth flags small-cap ETFs as potential lower-rate beneficiaries.
Both discuss crypto ETF adoption, including IBIT and ETHA, with sticky flows despite volatility.
Rosenbluth also mentions ETF share-class approvals and growing alternatives products like CAIE and BTCI.

Ideas

Jay Jacobs US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock 1:33

AI is a targeted 2026 growth opportunity.

Artificial intelligence is one of the biggest targeted growth opportunities in the market for 2026 and could do very well in this environment, so investors need laser-focused thematic exposures rather than only broad market beta.

Todd Rosenbluth Head of Research, TMX VettaFI 3:13

Nuclear energy trend likely continues.

AI-adjacent nuclear energy remains a theme likely to continue in 2026; the Range Nuclear Renaissance ETF (NUKZ) rose 55% in 2025 and Todd expects that trend to persist.

Todd Rosenbluth Head of Research, TMX VettaFI 3:27

Small caps benefit from lower rates.

Small cap ETFs were out of favor and underperformed in 2025, but they saw inflows in December and could perform well in a lower-rate environment; Todd thinks the small-cap attention may persist in 2026.

Jay Jacobs US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock 4:34

Manage S&P concentration via TOPT or OEF.

Market concentration is at historical levels, and BlackRock's suite lets investors either lean into mega-cap tech concentration with TOPT, the top 20 S&P 500 names, or broaden out with OEF, the equal-weight S&P 100, depending on how much concentration risk they want; flows have gone into both.

Jay Jacobs US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock 8:48

Active AI fund seeks future AI leaders.

BlackRock's actively managed AI ETF BAI, managed by Tony Kim, is one of its fastest-growing ETFs and aims to identify the leaders in artificial intelligence; active management can add alpha as volatility and dispersion create opportunities.

Jay Jacobs US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock 8:57

Income funds harvest dividends and write options.

In a falling-rate environment investors need new income sources, and funds like BALI or BQ use systematic active strategies that harvest dividends from dividend payers and write options overlays to generate more income.

Jay Jacobs US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock 9:10

Liquid alts package alpha and diversify.

Alternatives can diversify a portfolio, and liquid alts/multistrategy ETFs wrap dynamic macro, equity market-neutral, and style or credit strategies into one ticker so investors can get alternative exposure that behaves differently from stocks and bonds; Jay is excited about the category's growth.

Jay Jacobs US Head of Equity ETFs, BlackRock 13:27

Crypto ETFs still early; adoption growing.

It is still early for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF investing; IBIT and ETHA give a broader group of advisers and investors access, and adoption is mostly about education, portfolio fit, and how crypto behaves alongside stocks and bonds.

Todd Rosenbluth Head of Research, TMX VettaFI 14:45

IBIT flows stay sticky through volatility.

IBIT fell in price in 2025 but still had one of the best years for asset gathering, suggesting ETF-based crypto investors are treating Bitcoin as a long-term alternative allocation and are not selling out on volatility.

ETF Edge: The 2026 ETF Playbook - What investors can expect

Summary

Ideas

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