BOSTON and CINCINNATI, July 17, 2024 – Natixis Investment Managers (Natixis IM) and Gateway Investment Advisers, LLC (Gateway), a pioneer in options-based investment strategies, today announced that the Natixis Gateway Quality Income ETF (GQI) has recently surpassed $100 million in assets. The ETF was launched on December 13, 2023, and has generated a return of 11.43% since inception through June 30, 2024.
This actively managed, income-generating equity ETF seeks to deliver current income in the range of 8-12% per year while maintaining prospects for capital appreciation by combining a factor-based, high-quality focused equity portfolio with the characteristics of an index-option selling overlay program. GQI is available for purchase on several major independent platforms, through select regional broker-dealer firms, and on all major custodial platforms.
“We are delighted with the rapid investor adoption of GQI, Gateway’s first ETF, in recognition of our team’s decades of experience helping clients reduce the risks of stock market investing through actively managed options-based equity strategies,” said Michael T. Buckius, CFA®, CIO of Gateway, and co-portfolio manager of GQI. “Gateway is proud to offer this actively managed ETF for investors who seek consistent income and wish to remain invested in the stock market.”
“The explosive growth of GQI in six short months demonstrates that investors are starving for simple products that solve complex problems. As an active, income-producing ETF, GQI allows investors to stay invested in the stock market – especially important in these volatile times – while offering consistent income,” said Nicholas Elward, SVP and head of institutional product and ETFs at Natixis Investment Managers. “We have long believed in Gateway’s index option-based low-volatility equity strategies, and we’re thrilled that GQI has become such a standout strategy in the portfolios of risk-conscious investors and retirees looking for income.”
Gateway uses a multifactor quantitative model to construct and manage GQI’s stock portfolio. The model evaluates US exchange-traded equities and seeks to maximize exposure to quality characteristics while considering issuer and sector exposures, among other constraints and considerations. The equity portfolio generally consists of approximately 75–125 securities, and can include US exchange-listed common stocks, preferred stocks, American Depositary Receipts, and investment companies (including ETFs).
The features of an actively managed options overlay program are built into the GQI strategy and are designed to generate consistent monthly income for investors. Replicating the characteristics of a laddered portfolio of one-month, near-the-money S&P 500® Index call options sold on a rolling weekly basis, the options overlay is implemented on 50 percent of GQI’s equity portfolio to balance capital appreciation with income.
Day-to-day management of GQI is the responsibility of Gateway’s Daniel M. Ashcraft, Vice President and Portfolio Manager; Michael T. Buckius, CEO, CIO, President and Portfolio Manager; Kenneth H. Toft, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager; and Mitchell J. Trotta, Portfolio Manager. Together, the team averages 20 years of tenure with Gateway. GQI’s primary listing venue is the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).