China has stunned the world twice this week by making two devaluations to bring its currency to a four year low. The value of a broad range of ETFs have been affected by the move. Generally, ETFs tracking equities of countries which have significant trade with China have received a negative impact. ETFs following China’s A-share market have responded positively to the news, as have those ETFs backing gold and US Treasuries.

As bond yields hover around multi-decade lows, investors continue to turn to different asset classes, such as equities, in search of income opportunities. In this search; however, investors need to remain cognisant of the risk to the sustainability of future dividends. The FTSE Sustainable Yield Index Series measures dependable yields of companies around the world and addresses the challenge of finding a benchmark that accurately reflects a long-term sustainable approach.

Discussions are ongoing between the national stock exchanges of South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya to secure the correct framework for facilitating future cross-listings of exchange-traded funds between the three countries. The move will not only enhance liquidity (boosting the international perception of the country’s capital markets) but will also provide investors with previously off-limit investment opportunities.

The London Stock Exchange has released their latest monthly report outlining trading and listings activity in exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products. The report yet again highlights the continued growth in the industry and the LSE’s status as one of the leading centres for ETFs. Lida Eslami, Listed Products Manager, London Stock Exchange, said: “This month’s activity is testament to London’s continuing status as the leading European destination for ETF issuers and investors. We are delighted so far this year to have welcomed 122 new exchange-traded products to our market, already surpassing the total number of listings for the whole of last year.”

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed in Europe have gathered 13% more assets year-to-date than in any prior year, according to ETF industry consultants ETFGI. A record $48.4bn in net new assets were gathered by ETFs in Europe in the first seven months of 2015, well ahead of the prior record of $42.9bn set in 2014. “Although investors faced uncertainty in China and Greece during July they continued to invest significant net new assets in equity ETFs”, said Deborah Fuhr, managing partner of ETFGI.

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (Deutsche AWM) has announced the launch of four high dividend yield currency-hedged equity exchange traded funds (ETFs). “In this low interest rate environment, we believe that we are delivering unique solutions to investors seeking income-oriented investments,” said Fiona Bassett, Head of Deutsche AWM’s Passive Business in the Americas. “As a European-based bank, we will continue to leverage our local insight to offer the most comprehensive suite of currency-hedged international equity ETFs in the US.”

The NYSE-listed iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF (EWY) has been in steep decline since 23 April 2015, with fund performance down more than 20%. A significant drop in short interest, however, suggests that investors and traders may now consider this bear market to be reaching its bottom, possibly providing a buying opportunity to more risk-tolerant investors. Whilst the aforementioned ETF is listed on the NYSE, the European investors can play the theme via locally listed ETFs from iShares and Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management.

FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider, has expanded the FTSE Global Factor Index Series to include two additional factors: Momentum and Dividend Yield. The factors are available in developed market and emerging market versions. Peter Gunthorp, Managing Director of Research & Analytics at FTSE Russell, commented: “Asset owners and their consultants are increasingly evaluating and adopting more sophisticated index strategies. As alternatively weighted and factor indices grow in popularity, we will continue to expand our offering to meet this growing demand.”

State Street Global Advisors, the asset manager behind the SPDR exchange-traded fund range, has announced the launch of the SPDR FTSE EPRA Europe ex UK Real Estate UCITS ETF (ZPRP). Listed on the LSE and Deutsche Börse, the fund tracks the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe ex UK Index offering exposure to income-producing listed real estate companies and real estate investment trusts in Europe, excluding the UK. “With extensive quantitative easing still in place in Europe, many investors are turning to the steady income, potential for inflation protection, and diversification that an investment in real estate can offer,” said Alexis Marinof, head of SPDR ETFs EMEA.

WisdomTree, a leading provider of currency-hedged exchange-traded funds, has launched two new ETFs on the NYSE Arca. The WisdomTree Strong Dollar US Equity Fund (USSD) and the WisdomTree Weak Dollar US Equity Fund (USWD) invest solely in US-listed equities but each offers different exposure to changes in the strength of the US dollar. These new funds are an innovative extension to WisdomTree’s already-extensive range of currency-hedged ETFs.