Beyond “ETFs and cooling”: rethinking investment strategy in 2026

For years, investing seemed straightforward. Buy a low-cost ETF, stay invested and let long-term market growth drive huge profits. The “ETF and cool” strategy became popular because it worked – passive exchange-traded funds offered broad diversification, low fees, and reliable participation in rising markets. But the investment landscape is changing. one in Recent Op-Ed Ritesh Ganeriwal, managing director and head of investment advisory at Cyfe, writing for The Business Times, pointed out that as we move deeper into 2026, investors are facing a more fragmented market environment due to geopolitical uncertainty, higher interest rates, artificial intelligence-driven disruption and a growing performance gap between sectors and companies. In this environment, simply owning the “market” may not be sufficient to achieve specific financial goals. Today’s investors are increasingly asking “What outcome am I investing for?” Instead of just asking “How should I invest?”

The ETF market is entering a new phase

Passive ETFs remain a…