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Columbus Macro
Craig Columbus runs Columbus Macro, a tactical ETF strategist that publishes daily portfolio holdings and operates from Pittsburgh.
Columbus Macro
Craig Columbus founded Columbus Macro in 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, drawing on a career that included serving as chief market strategist at a national clearing firm and testifying before the U.S. Congress on market structure. The firm operates as an independent investment adviser that translates top-down macroeconomic views into active portfolio decisions for individuals, advisors, and institutional clients. The investment approach applies a global macro lens to multi-asset portfolios. The firm manages a publicly traded ETF, the Columbus Macro Tactical Rotation ETF (TICK), alongside separate accounts. Strategy construction integrates analysis of monetary policy cycles, fiscal conditions, and intermarket relationships. The firm shifts allocations across US equities, international developed and emerging market stocks, Treasury and corporate bonds, and cash equivalents depending on the prevailing macro regime. Positions have historically included broad regional ETFs and sector-specific vehicles rather than single-stock selection. Columbus Macro is led by Craig Columbus, who serves as CEO and Chief Investment Officer. The firm maintains a lean organizational structure consistent with a research-centric boutique. The flagship Tactical Rotation ETF has remained a primary vehicle for translating the firm's macro model into liquid, daily-priced exposures. In 2020, the firm launched a second ETF, the Columbus Macro Global Dividend Grower ETF, extending its product line into factor-based strategies with a global macro overlay before later closing that fund. Structurally, the firm differentiates by operating with a high degree of tactical transparency: it publishes its daily ETF holdings on its website. This disclosure practice diverges from the standard in active ETF management, where holdings are typically reported with a lag. The firm's direct public communication on market themes, often authored by Columbus himself, further serves as a real-time articulation of how its macro views translate into portfolio action.
General information
Firm type
Asset Manager
Year founded
2015
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Pittsburgh
Corporate office
Pittsburgh, PA, United States
Principals
Craig Columbus
CEO & Chief Investment Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Columbus Macro?
Craig Columbus serves as CEO and Chief Investment Officer and is the portfolio manager for the firm's strategies. He previously held roles as chief market strategist at BNY Mellon's Pershing clearing unit and has testified before Congress on market structure. Investment decisions follow the firm's top-down macroeconomic model, with Columbus as the primary decision-maker on tactical allocation shifts.
How does Columbus Macro implement its macro views into actual portfolios?
The firm primarily uses ETFs to express its macro views. Its flagship product, the Columbus Macro Tactical Rotation ETF, shifts allocations among US equities, international equities, fixed income, and cash based on a proprietary model that evaluates monetary conditions, fiscal policy, and intermarket signals. Separate accounts follow a similar process. The firm publishes the ETF's full holdings daily on its website.
Is Columbus Macro's strategy purely tactical, or does it incorporate long-term strategic allocations?
The firm is explicitly tactical. Its process evaluates macro conditions to determine the current investing regime, then shifts portfolio weightings accordingly. When the macro model signals heightened risk, the strategy can move to a fully defensive posture in cash or short-duration bonds. This contrasts with strategic allocation shops that maintain static long-term target weightings and rebalance mechanically.
What differentiates Columbus Macro's ETF transparency from other active managers?
Most actively managed ETFs disclose their full holdings on a quarterly or monthly basis with a lag. Columbus Macro publishes the daily holdings of its Tactical Rotation ETF on the firm's website, giving investors full visibility into what the fund owns at any point. This level of daily transparency is unusual and has served as a defining operational feature of the firm.
Does Columbus Macro manage separate accounts in addition to its ETF?
Yes. Alongside the publicly traded ETF, the firm manages separate accounts for individuals and institutions. These accounts follow the same tactical macro framework but can accommodate client-specific tax management and customization. The separate-account business predates the ETF launch and remains part of the firm's offering.
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