Exchange group NYSE Euronext led the market in exchange traded products listings with more than 450 new ETN, ETF and other ETP listings globally in 2011. NYSE Arca, the group’s fully electronic US market, reported nearly 300 new ETP listings in 2011 – setting a new record compared to 220 new products in 2010. In Europe, NYSE Euronext, the combined markets of Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris, also enjoyed record growth with 157 new ETF listings.

Ossiam, an affiliate of Natixis, has launched the Ossiam FTSE 100 Minimum Variance ETF, the first such low volatility FTSE 100 ETF. The fund provides investors with exposure to a diversified portfolio of FTSE 100 stocks specifically optimised to minimise risk without necessarily sacrificing returns. The fund tracks the FTSE 100 Minimum Variance TR Index – an index which has outperformed the popular market-cap weighted FTSE 100 Index, while at the same time exhibiting significantly less volatility.

SSgA has launched the SPDR S&P Small Cap Emerging Asia Pacific ETF, the first ETF to track small caps in the emerging market Asia Pacific region. Listed on the NYSE, the fund provides investors with targeted access to companies well poised to benefit from the domestic growth of emerging Asia’s burgeoning middle class. While the fund is positioned towards the higher end of the risk spectrum, it offers the potential for high returns and portfolio diversification.

According to a report by BMO Asset Management, the Canadian ETF industry is set for dramatic growth and change in the coming year, following the growth of market assets of 13% in 2011 despite continued market volatility. This year’s growth will, in part, be caused by the emergence of new providers, the introduction of more ETFs, increased price competition and more sophisticated product offerings, says BMO.

Pimco has announced the date of what may prove to be a seminal moment for the ETF industry, the launch of the ETF version of the hugely popular Pimco Total Return Fund. Set to launch on 1 March 2012 and managed by founder Bill Gross, many are predicting the fund to be a ‘game changer’ for active ETFs, which, until now, have been slow to gather assets. If successful, other active managers are expected to follow suit.

Hong Kong-based investment firm Enhanced Investment Products (EIP) has received authorisation from the city’s securities authority, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), to launch a suite of ETF products. Expected to be the first Hong Kong-domiciled swap-based ETF platform managed by a local company, EIP will list its first funds on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Thursday, 16 February 2012. The range will initiate with a number of country-specific ETFs focused on Emerging Asia.

Amundi ETF benefited from significant growth throughout the year to finish 2011 ranked as the 3rd largest European ETF provider by net new assets, according to a year-end review by the company. The net effect was growth of 22% in assets under management, which increased from EUR 5.3bn at year end 2010 to EUR 6.5bn at year end 2011, against an overall stable European market.

Government bonds are considered overvalued on a one-year time horizon, according to a survey of CFA UK members. Of the respondents, 72% said that government bonds such as gilts and treasuries were overvalued. The findings are broadly reflective of an emerging trend in ETF flows, which shows a slight uptick in equity allocations and a moderation in fixed income, and could signal the start of a period of outperformance for inverse bond ETFs.

Precious metals analysts continue to expect gold prices to rise, according to a survey by the LBMA. Their average gold forecast is US$1,766, a 10.2% increase compared to the price in the first week of January 2012. Analysts are even more bullish about the prospects of the other precious metals, predicting a 17.3% increase in the price of silver and 15% and 12.3% rise in the prices of platinum and palladium, respectively.

ProShares, the issuer behind a range of geared and inverse ETFs, has launched a pair of funds that enable investors to take a bet on US inflation by pairing exposure of 30-year Treasury bonds with Treasury Inflation Protected Securities. The two funds, the ProShares 30 Year TIPS/TSY Spread ETF and its inverse, or short, counterpart, are the first such ETFs to provide exposure to so-called breakeven inflation, a widely followed measure of inflation expectations.