The db X-trackers CSI 300 China A-Shares Hedged Equity ETF (NYSE: ASHX) is the first of its kind to offer direct access to firms based in mainland China while avoiding unwanted currency fluctuations between the Chinese yuan and US dollar. The fund aims to deliver the local currency performance of the CSI 300 Index which is comprised of the 300 most representative – as measured by a combination of market capitalisation and liquidity – A-shares listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges.

Stoxx Limited, the European index provider, has introduced the STOXX Select and STOXX Diversification Select index families, a suite of multi-factor smart beta indices which harness the low volatility and dividend yield factors in search of improved risk-adjusted returns. Hartmut Graf, chief executive officer, Stoxx Limited commented: “We have introduced the STOXX Select and STOXX Diversification Select Indices, which meet both structured products issuers and end-investor needs by introducing screens for low volatility, high dividends and low correlation, paired with an inverse volatility weighting scheme.”

Questrade Wealth Management, a Toronto-based investment manager, has unveiled their latest offerings on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Questrade Global Total Equity ETF is an actively managed ETF that seeks to establish a long-term strategic view through a top-down analysis of global economic trends, while using a bottom-up strategy to exploit opportunistic short-term market deviations. The Questrade Fixed Income Core Plus ETF is also actively managed, seeking opportunistic higher yields in a dynamic interest rate environment. The sub-advisor for the fund is Jarislowsky Fraser Limited.

FTSE Russell, a global index provider, has reunited with the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) to update the existing FTSE/JSE Africa Index Series. The collaboration involves the launches of the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Benchmark and a Top 30 Index. These indices, which are FTSE Russell’s next generation environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) model, may be used as a reference for future tracking assets such as exchange-traded funds.

Invesco PowerShares, a leading global provider of exchange-traded funds, has teamed up with Dorsey, Wright & Associates (DWA), a Virginia-based investment advisory firm, to bring to market the PowerShares DWA Tactical Sector Rotation Portfolio (DWTR). The ETF tracks the Dorsey Wright Sector 4 Total Return Index, using technical analysis to facilitate exposure to the strongest market sectors of the Nasdaq, based on relative strength indicators.

Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management (Deutsche AWM), the asset manager behind the db X-trackers brand of exchange-traded funds, has launched the db x-trackers Barclays USD Corporate Bond UCITS ETF that aims to provide exposure to the US dollar-denominated liquid corporate bond market. “With yields on many short maturity major government bonds now in negative territory, which means investors are effectively paying to own these bonds, there is a demand for fixed income exposure that generates a reasonable yield. Our new US dollar corporate bond ETF helps meet that demand,” said Michael Mohr, head of exchange-traded product development, EMEA, at Deutsche AWM.

Despite global volatility levels remaining elevated during September, the successful gathering of new assets has kept the industry on course to surpass previous full-year records. During September alone exchange-traded products globally attracted $32bn in new assets. As it stands there has been net inflows of $251bn from the start of the year to 30 September, 25% more than the previous record set last year.

According to BNY Mellon’s ETF Services Group, the number of actively managed ETFs is likely to increase significantly once the US Securities and Exchange Commission rules on proposals designed to discourage high-frequency traders from stepping ahead of active managers. Steve Cook, business executive, structured product services at BNY Mellon, said, “Uncertainty around which proposal will be adopted has slowed the launch of actively managed ETFs this year. However, once we have regulatory clarity, we expect a rebound in launches of actively managed ETFs. It will result in more options for investors, which is what everyone wants.”

Societe Generale, the Paris-based global asset manager, has released research shedding light on the interaction between net flows of commodity-linked exchange-traded products and the prices of their underlying commodities. Specifically, it notes that net flows of gold-tracking ETPs have historically been positively correlated with the underlying gold price, further amplifying the commodity’s price movement. On the contrary, net flows in oil-tracking ETPs have historically exhibited a negative correlation to crude oil prices. The model suggests this inverse relationship has allowed oil-tracking ETP flows to lend support to falling oil prices and has provided resistance when prices move upwards.

Loncar Investments, a specialist exchange-traded fund and index provider, has unveiled the first ETF to track companies engaged in the research and development of therapies that treat cancer through the body’s immune system. “Immunotherapy is changing the way many cancers are being treated,” said Brad Loncar, Chief Executive Officer of Loncar Investments. “This innovative field within biotechnology is expected to become the foundational treatment for cancer over the next ten years. We think it is important to give investors a benchmark to track the progress of this growing biotechnology sector, which over time will likely continue to have a positive impact on society.”