The asset management industry sector is composed of those companies operating as mutual funds, open-ended investment companies, close ended investment funds, investment trusts, unit trusts and assets managers. The sector is split between institutional and retail investors, with values provided based on total assets under management.

Aruvian Research analyzes The Asset Management Industry in United States in Michael Porter's Five Forces Analysis. It uses concepts developed in Industrial Organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Porter referred to these forces as the microenvironment, to contrast it with the more general term macro-environment. They consist of those forces close to a company that affect its ability to serve its customers and make a profit. A change in any of the forces normally requires a company to re-assess the marketplace.