By Angela Palumbo
Wedbush Fund Advisers has launched another artificial-intelligence-focused ETF bearing the name of Wall Street's most prominent tech bull.
Wedbush Fund Advisers said Tuesday that it launched the Dan IVES Wedbush AI Power & Infrastructure exchange-traded fund, with the ticker IVEP. Dan Ives, Wedbush Securities' global head of tech research, is a well-known figure on Wall Street due to his consistent media appearances and passionate calls in favor of the tech sector. This is the second investment offering from Wedbush Fund Advisers that uses his name.
The fund's purpose is to give investors exposure to companies that are involved in building out the infrastructure needed to power AI, such as its top holding GE Vernova and other energy firms, according to the company. The new ETF, which holds 30 stocks, was created using research produced by Ives and Wedbush managing director and director of research, Seth Basham, a news release said.
Wedbush acknowledged Barron's request for comment but didn't immediately offer a response. Ives and Basham didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sell-side analysts are expected to produce objective research. Attaching an analyst's personal brand to an investment product could create an incentive to promote the investment and its holdings favorably, or could be interpreted as an endorsement, legal experts say.
Barron's reported in January that Ives's overlapping roles in the tech space appeared to pose conflicts of interest with his sell-side analyst role. One area of overlap appeared to be Wedbush Fund Advisers' inaugural fund, the Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF $(IVES)$, which launched last June. The fund holds 30 tech stocks that Ives has said will benefit from the future of AI; as an analyst, he covers 14 of those stocks, all with Buy ratings.
Wedbush told Barron's in January that "Dan Ives has an exceptional 25-year record built on deep industry knowledge, credibility, a strong work ethic, and most importantly, unwavering integrity."
Less than six months after its launch, the AI Revolution ETF hit $1 billion in assets under management by Oct. 29, 2025. The ETF has gained 14% since inception, compared with the S&P 500's 11% gain in the same time frame. As of the stock market close on Monday, the ETF has dropped 8.1% this year compared with the S&P 500's 3.3% decline.
In March, Ives stepped down as board chairman of Eightco Holdings, a digital assets company.
In the case of the new IVEP ETF, Ives covers one of the 30 included stocks -- Willdan Group with a Buy rating -- according to FactSet. Even though Ives doesn't cover most of the stocks in the new ETF, attaching his name and brand to another fund is a rarity on Wall Street.
"When a sell-side analyst's name is used to market a fund, the concern is not limited to whether he directly covers the holdings. The concerns are broader," says Adam Gana, managing partner of New York law firm Gana Weinstein. "Investors may reasonably infer that the ETF reflects the analyst's research, views, or that he has influence over portfolio construction. That creates a potential perception by investors that the analyst is endorsing the investment."
Write to Angela Palumbo at angela.palumbo@dowjones.com
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 08, 2026 15:22 ET (19:22 GMT)
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