First Trust Advisors has announced the addition of nine new international-focused funds to the AlphaDEX family of ETFs, comprising two broad market and seven country-specific funds. The AlphaDEX ETFs are designed to track the performance of a group of custom “enhanced” indices which employ a proprietary, rules-based, fundamental stock selection methodology. The family of funds consists of a diverse range of sector, style, multi-cap and international funds.

Market Vectors ETFs has announced the launch of the Market Vectors Unconventional Oil & Gas ETF (NYSE: FRAK), a fund which seeks to tap the vast potential of the fast-growing unconventional energy sub-sector. FRAK is the first US-listed ETF designed to provide investors with pure-play exposure to the unconventional segment of the energy sector. Unconventional oil and gas operations can include efforts in coal bed methane, coal seam gas, shale oil and gas, tight natural gas, tight oil and tar sands.

DB X-trackers has launched a range of ETFs tracking the performance of government bonds issued by the Italian state. The funds have been listed on Borsa Italiana and track derivations of the MTS Italy Ex-Bank of Italy Index. The MTS Italy Ex-Bank of Italy Index measures the performance of a portfolio of Italian government bonds, including BTPs, BOTs and CCTs, and is calculated by EuroMTS.

The Global X Uranium ETF – the first ETF to track companies involved in uranium mining – is up more than 20 per cent this year, after collapsing more than 50 per cent in 2011 when a Japanese earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. Other uranium and nuclear-oriented funds, such as the ETFX WNA Global Nuclear Energy ETF, have put in similarly strong performances. The rally can largely be attributed to the recent deal between Canada and China on uranium exports.

The yield on high-yield bonds remains attractive, at approximately 8.00%. More attractive is the spread between these and safer alternatives. The spread is now 6.15% over the roughly 1.85% yield on 10-year Treasury bonds, far exceeding the 4.25% average yield spread since 1987. “I have been trading the high-yield bond market for nearly 20 years. When yields are high and spreads are high, as they are now, the reward potential is greater,” says Stephen Blumenthal of CMG.

Commodities were higher in January, with many commodities reversing the slump seen in the second half for 2011. “It is starting to look more likely that the global economy has been more resilient than many had expected and that some of the downside risks have decreased, which could be supportive for global commodity consumption in 2012,” says Nelson Louie, Global Head of Commodities at Credit Suisse Asset Management.

Edward Bland, Head of Research at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank, believes that, after recent stock market falls, now is the time to consider an investment in Brazil: “A tremendous amount of investment is being undertaken in order to get Brazil’s infrastructure up to date and ready to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016. On the corporate side, things are equally healthy. Add to this robust domestic consumption and growing real wages, and you have a recipe for strong economic growth.”

Claymore Investments, a leading Canadian ETF provider, has launched a ‘managed futures’ ETF, adding to the growing list of alternative hedge fund strategies now available to ETF investors. The Claymore Managed Futures ETF seeks to capitalise on price trends of a diverse universe of commodity, currency, equity, and fixed income futures contracts through a systematic trend-following strategy. The fund offers investors the potential for downside protection, asset class diversification, and a hedge against inflation.

Against a global back drop of the ongoing eurozone crisis, tepid US growth and Chinese slowdown, ING Investment Management believes that the outlook for Saudi Arabia in 2012 is expected to be characterised by an increased flow of IPOs and the long-awaited opening of the Saudi market to foreign investors. In addition, the increase in GDP per capita – rising to $19,890 in 2011 from $14,148 in 2010 – should boost consumer spending.

European ETFs ended a challenging 2011 with net new assets of $18.23 billion and now have total assets of $259.88 billion, according to a quarterly report from Credit Suisse. Moreover, the Swiss bank – Europe’s fifth-largest ETF provider – expects 2012 to be a another positive year for the European ETF industry following the recent release of draft regulatory guidelines from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), which came out broadly supportive of the industry.