What is a characteristic of active management in investment funds?

Active management in investment funds is characterized by the manager's ability to make independent investment decisions aimed at outperforming a specific benchmark or index. This approach involves research and analysis to select securities based on various factors like market trends, economic indicators, and individual company performance. Unlike passive management, which simply tracks an index, active management seeks to capitalize on market inefficiencies and generate higher returns by making strategic buys and sells.

The focus of active management is on identifying opportunities that provide the potential for superior gains compared to a benchmark, rather than just mirroring what that index does. This proactive strategy is fundamental to the notion of active management, distinguishing it from passive approaches where the aim is simply to replicate market returns without making active choices.