Archive for August 2013

Drilling down into energy and mining services ETFs

Aug 29th, 2013 | By
Sprott unveils Europe’s first ESG-screened copper miners ETF

By David Stevenson – This week I’m looking at what I call the ‘Picks, Shovels and Roughnecks’ theme. I am absolutely convinced that the human race is degrading its way through this planet’s bountiful treasure trove of energy and key materials. Anticipated increases in the global population can only have a negative impact on resource balances. As a consequence, we will need to spend a vast amount of money digging and drilling stuff out of the ground, at ever-larger scale and in more difficult circumstances. Thus starts an investment journey which suggests that energy and mining equipment manufacturers and suppliers are the place to be – but what to actually own?


Boost counters Fed criticism of leveraged and inverse ETFs

Aug 28th, 2013 | By
Bridges Capital debuts US equity ETF guided by monetary policy

Boost, an independent provider of exchange-traded products, has countered criticism of leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from the US Federal Reserve. In a statement, the London-based firm, which specialises in leveraged and inverse products, said there was need for “more clarity and reasoned debate around the conclusions” of a recent Fed report entitled: Are Leveraged and Inverse ETFs the New Portfolio Insurers?


ETF primary-listing venue BATS merges with Direct Edge

Aug 28th, 2013 | By
ETF primary listing venue BATS merges with Direct Edge

BATS Global Markets, owner of the BATS Exchange, a primary-listing venue for ETFs, and Direct Edge have agreed to merge, creating the second-largest stock exchange in the US in terms of equity trading volumes. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2014, subject to regulatory approvals. The merged entity will operate under the BATS Global Markets name.


DeAWM lists LSE’s first DAX ETF

Aug 27th, 2013 | By
DeAWM lists LSE’s first DAX ETF

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (DeAWM), the asset management division of Deutsche Bank, has launched the London Stock Exchange’s first exchange-traded fund (ETF) to be based on the DAX Index. While numerous DAX-linked ETFs are listed around the world, the db x-trackers DAX UCITS ETF (DR) (XDDX) is the first to be available locally to UK-based investors. The DAX measures the performance of the 30 largest companies in terms of order book volume and market capitalisation on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.


First Trust introduces international multi-asset income ETF

Aug 27th, 2013 | By
First Trust folds four single-country AlphaDEX ETFs into FDT

First Trust, a provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has launched a new ETF designed to provide low-volatility exposure to a diverse international portfolio of high-yielding instruments. The fund is latest addition to a growing roster of multi-asset income ETFs, which includes products from iShares, Guggenheim, ArrowShares and SPDR.


Early findings from IndexUniverse / Brown Brothers Harriman ETF advisor survey

Aug 27th, 2013 | By
Active, thematic, and ESG ETFs poised for growth, finds BBH

IndexUniverse, a US-focused publication covering the global indexing industry, and Brown Brothers Harriman, a custodian and administrator with some $170 billion in exchange-traded fund (ETF) assets, have released some early findings from their first joint ‘Annual Advisor Survey’. Shawn McNinch, Senior Vice President, Global Head of ETF Services at Brown Brothers Harriman, said: “We are thrilled to be working with IndexUniverse to publish the results of this insightful and important survey”.


ETF Securities partners with The Royal Mint

Aug 26th, 2013 | By
Royal Mint terminates physical delivery facility on WisdomTree's Gold Bullion Securities

ETF Securities, a London-headquartered provider of exchange-traded commodities (ETCs), has partnered with The Royal Mint to offer investors the opportunity to exchange holdings in Gold Bullion Securities (GBSS) for actual gold bullion. Rather than simply providing exposure to the precious metal, investors in GBSS ETC will now be able to exchange their security holdings for physical gold bullion coins produced by mint – specifically Sovereigns and Britannias – for a fee of 4.5%.


ChinaAMC launches first ETF based on CESC index

Aug 26th, 2013 | By
ChinaAMC acquires BMO’s Hong Kong-listed ETFs

China Asset Management Company (ChinaAMC), China’s largest fund management firm, has listed its second RQFII exchange-traded fund (ETF) on the Hong Kong stock exchange. The new fund is linked to the CES China A80 Index, an index developed by the China Exchanges Services Company (CESC), a joint venture between Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Shenzhen Stock Exchange.


S&P Dow Jones adds two metals sector indices to S&P GSCI family

Aug 26th, 2013 | By
S&P Dow Jones adds two metals sector indices to S&P GSCI family

S&P Dow Jones Indices has added two new sector indices to its flagship S&P GSCI commodity index family. They are the S&P GSCI All Metals 3 Month Forward and the S&P GSCI All Metals 3 Month Forward Capped Component. The indices are designed to measure the performance of precious and industrial metal commodity markets while seeking to reduce negative roll yield in times of contango.


Emerging market woes put smart beta ETFs to the test

Aug 26th, 2013 | By
Columbia Threadneedle launches equity income smart beta ETFs

By David Stevenson – In this column I am going to touch on the rather sensitive and controversial subjects of emerging markets (EM) and smart beta. Crucially, I want to argue that investing in EM equities could have been a far more rewarding pursuit over the last 12 months if (and it’s a big if) you’d have focused on the right kind of stocks.