Archive for August 2013
Aug 29th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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?
Posted in Equities |
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Tags: Commodities, Equities, Global, iShares, PureFunds, Source, Themes and Strategy, United States and Canada
Aug 28th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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?
Posted in Alternatives / Multi-Asset |
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Tags: Boost ETP, Direxion, DWS Xtrackers, ETF Industry News, ETF Securities, ETNs and ETCs, Leveraged and Inverse ETFs, Lyxor, ProShares, United States and Canada, VelocityShares
Aug 28th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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.
Posted in ETF and Index News |
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Tags: ETF Industry News, Europe, iShares, ProShares, United States and Canada
Aug 27th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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.
Posted in Equities |
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Tags: Amundi, Boost ETP, DAXglobal, DWS Xtrackers, Equities, ETF Industry News, ETF Launch, Europe, iShares, Leveraged and Inverse ETFs, MSCI
Aug 27th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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.
Posted in Alternatives / Multi-Asset |
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Tags: ArrowShares, Equities, ETF Industry News, ETF Launch, First Trust, Fixed Income, Global, Guggenheim, iShares, Nasdaq OMX Indexes, Real Estate, SSGA SPDR
Aug 27th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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”.
Posted in ETF and Index News |
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Tags: ETF and Index News, ETF Industry News, Global, United States and Canada
Aug 26th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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%.
Posted in Commodities |
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Tags: Alternatives, Commodities, ETF Industry News, ETF Securities, ETNs and ETCs, Gold and Precious Metals, United Kingdom, United States and Canada
Aug 26th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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.
Posted in Equities |
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Tags: China, Emerging and Frontier, Equities, ETF Industry News, ETF Launch
Aug 26th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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.
Posted in Commodities |
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Tags: Commodities, ETF and Index News, S&P Dow Jones
Aug 26th, 2013 |
By Simon Smith, CFA
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.
Posted in Equities |
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Tags: EG Shares, Emerging and Frontier, Equities, Guggenheim, High Income, Invesco, iShares, Themes and Strategy, Volatility