Boost ETP, a London-based provider of short and leveraged exchange-traded products (ETPs), has unveiled a tutorial and test intended to bolster advisers’ understanding of short and leveraged products.

Blair Hull, a veteran US trader and investor, has teamed up with Exchange Traded Concepts, a firm offering turnkey exchange-traded fund (ETF) solutions, to launch an active ETF. A registration statement and preliminary prospectus has already been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund, which will be launched under the HTAA (Hull Tactical Asset Allocation) brand, will utilise advanced algorithms as well as macro and technical indicators to anticipate future market returns.

The NYSE Arca-listed Market Vectors Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF (EMLC), the first US-listed ETF to focus on local currency emerging markets bonds, has celebrated its third anniversary. Since its launch in late July 2010, the fund has proved popular with investors who have been attracted to the currency and credit fundamentals many emerging markets offer.

Teucrium Trading, a US-based issuer of commodity-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs), recently celebrated the third-year anniversary of its flagship product, the NYSE Arca-listed Teucrium Corn Fund (CORN). Launched in June 2010, the fund was one of the first exchange-listed vehicles to enable a wide variety of investors to gain liquid and transparent access to corn without the use of a futures account.

WisdomTree has announced the launch of the WisdomTree Emerging Markets Dividend Growth Fund (DGRE). The ETF provides exposure to dividend-paying emerging markets stocks with growth characteristics. Jeremy Schwartz, WisdomTree Director of Research, said: “In contrast to many popular emerging markets equity strategies, DGRE has heavy exposure to the consumer sectors – which tend to be more closely tied to the economic growth potential of domestic markets, as well as defensive sectors – which have historically lower volatility.

AVANA Invest, a Munich-based investment manager specialising in exchange-traded fund (ETF) portfolios, has listed its first ETF: the AVANA Emerging Market Equity UCITS ETF Feeder. The fund, which has an actively managed component, has been listed on the Deutsche Börse (Xetra) and provides exposure to emerging market equities.

First Trust, a global provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has launched an actively managed ETF providing investors with access to a managed futures strategy. The fund, the First Trust Morningstar Managed Futures Strategy ETF (FMF), which has been listed on the NYSE Arca, seeks to provide investors with positive returns and to exceed the performance of the Morningstar Diversified Futures Index, the fund’s benchmark.

Near-record net inflows of $44.08 billion and strong market performance helped to push global exchange-traded fund (ETF) and exchange-traded product (ETP) assets to $2.16 trillion at the end of July 2013, according to preliminary data from ETFGI, a London-based ETF consultancy. Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner at ETFGI, said: “Dovish comments from the Fed and positive market performance encouraged investors to put net inflows of $44.08 billion back into the market through ETFs/ETPs.”

MSCI, a leading global index provider, has launched the MSCI Quality Mix Indices, an equal weighted combination of the provider’s value weighted, minimum volatility and quality indices in a single composite index. Baer Pettit, Managing Director and Global Head of the MSCI Index Business, said: “We are delighted to bring to the market a set of new indices designed to reflect the beta represented by combining quality with value and low volatility strategies.”

By David Stevenson – This week I have a small piece of mid-summer madness. Now that all those sensible people have quite rightly vanished from the office, I’m fairly sure that only the most clinically insane are left staring at their computers (like me), hunting down new investment ideas. If you are indeed one of these bemused loners, may I suggest a very contrarian call – Turkish equities?!