3 ETFs for a Small-Cap Revival

Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar, Inc.Apr 16, 2026

Why It Matters

The pick highlights how active ETFs are proliferating and offer targeted strategies—tax-exempt income, yield-enhanced equities, and international value—that investors can use to position portfolios for shifting market opportunities. These funds illustrate why active management and manager pedigree matter as investors seek differentiated sources of return and income within the booming ETF ecosystem.

Summary

Active ETFs have surged, reaching nearly $1.5 trillion in assets and $450 billion of net inflows in 2025, and Morningstar highlights three new active funds to watch: Vanguard Core Tax-Exempt Bond ETF (VCRM), T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Premium Income ETF (TCAL), and John Hancock Disciplined Value International Select ETF (JDVI). VCRM, run by veteran municipal managers Steven McAfee and Matthew Kiselak, uses Vanguard’s deep analyst and trading bench to identify mispriced munis and outpaced the Bloomberg Municipal Index marginally since its November 2024 inception, finishing in the top decile in 2025. TCAL brings David Giroux’s equity-picking team and a covered-call overlay to pursue income with a managed trade-off between yield and upside. JDVI, a silver-rated international value ETF with a December 2023 launch, rebounded from a weak 2024 to deliver strong 2025 results driven by European exposure and leverages a large analyst team and managers with long mutual-fund track records.

Original Description

#activeetfs #bestactiveetfs #etfinvesting
Don’t miss out on these newer faces.
Morningstar Investment Fund Strategy Prospects to Watch in Early 2026 https://www.morningstar.com/business/insights/research/prospects
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:30 Vanguard Core Tax-Exempt Bond VCRM
00:01:39 T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Premium Income ETF TCAL
00:02:42 John Hancock Disciplined Value International Select ETF JDVI
Watch more from Morningstar:
3 ETFs for a Small-Cap Revival https://youtu.be/7AOYK3xs0WY
3 Great ETFs for an IRA in 2026 https://youtu.be/vWK9AnXa4eM?si=KdoI6F5nOuE2donp
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