Legg Mason’s quant arm finds ETFs ‘very valuable’ Legg Mason’s quant arm finds ETFs ‘very valuable’ Submitted By Beverly Chandler | 25|05|2020 - 11:42am QS Investors is one of nine subsidiary firms of Legg Mason, and is where the quantitative solutions for institutional investors are found. The majority of its USD15 billion in assets is in quant solutions which marry the firm’s research to client needs, says Nick Hooten, Head of Investment Solutions, at the firm. Hooten will be joining the ETFs in Depth panel at etfLIVE US in October this year. “Being quantitative, allows us to offer clients the best opportunity to reach the specific outcomes they desire,” Hooten says. The firm has a broad range of clients which encompasses a number of different channels, including insurance and retirement companies who have specific and: “interesting requirements,” Hooten says. The firm also creates a number of models for broker|dealers to use, bringing institutional grade asset allocation to the adviser community. QS Investors uses a lot of ETFs. “Over half of our strategies incorporate ETFs,” Hooten says. “We use ETFs for two distinct purposes.