Pacer ETFs, an issuer of strategy-driven exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of its first two ETFs to offer exposure to equities outside the US. The funds use systematic trend following strategies to manage equity and currency market exposure respectively. “After the great initial success of our three US Trendpilot ETFs, we decided to apply the strategy internationally. I think it is something that investors should use across their investments to avoid major downtrends,” said Joe Thomson, Chairman and President of Pacer ETFs.

First Trust Global Portfolios, a leading provider of exchange-traded funds, has launched a new actively managed ETF targeting high yield fixed income exposure. The First Trust Tactical High Yield UCITS Fund seeks to generate a high level of income while also achieving capital appreciation through investment in US and non-US corporate bonds, convertible bonds and bank loans. The fund is managed by First Trust’s affiliate, First Trust Advisors (FTA).

Recent economic data makes the decision of the Federal Open Market Committee on 16 December less clear-cut than the market seems to think, according to Source, a leading European exchange-traded fund provider. Paul Jackson, Head of Multi-Asset Research at Source, said that, despite the dip in ISM Manufacturing data, he still believes the Fed will raise interest rates. “Our research shows that since the mid-1930s there were only two periods of monetary tightening out of 16 during which investors lost money on the S&P 500. It is important, therefore, to counter misperceptions that a rate hike is necessarily bad news for markets.”

ArthVeda Capital, an Indian asset management firm, has rolled out a suite of eight rules-based value investing indices. The compilations, released under the firms newly launched Smart Alpha Framework, attempt to identify stocks that are trading at discounts to their perceived intrinsic values, producing a portfolio with low risk and high quality characteristics. The indices may be used as a reference for index-linked investment products such as exchange-traded funds.

Lipper, a global leader in fund flow data, has released November figures for the European exchange-traded fund industry showing strong growth with assets under management (AUM) increasing by €13.1bn during the month. The increase was driven by a combination of market performance (+€10.0bn) and net inflows which accounted for €3.1bn. AUM in the European ETF industry now stands at €457.4bn with the majority held in equity funds (€334.8bn), followed by bond funds (€105.6bn) and commodity products (€13.1bn).

First Trust Advisors, a leading global provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced their intention to move 12 AlphaDEX ETFs to the Nasdaq exchange. Following this, each ETF will change its investment objective by adopting a new index maintained by Nasdaq. The move highlights a growing partnership between the two firms following the previous licensing of the AlphaDEX brand to the exchange.

Eaton Vance, the investment manager behind the NextShares active exchange-traded fund structure, has announced that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has declared their approval for a range of NextShares funds. The funds are the first of the NextShares products to gain approval from the SEC and the news marks an important milestone in the development of the active ETF industry. “Today’s action by the SEC is the last regulatory step required to launch the initial NextShares funds,” said Stephen W. Clarke, President of NextShares Solutions. “We look forward to the staged introduction of NextShares beginning in the first quarter of 2016.”

Asia Index, a joint-venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices, a leading global index provider, and BSE, India’s first stock exchange, has launched four smart beta indices tracking the factor performances of Indian equities. Alka Banerjee, CEO of Asia Index, commented: “With the launch of the S&P BSE Factor Indices, we aim to broaden the S&P BSE Index family to cater to the demand of the investor base who continuously seek dynamic strategies that offer their own risk premia.”

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a new rule that would limit the use of derivatives by registered investment companies, including exchange-traded funds. If it were to come into force, the proposed rule could have a significant impact on US-listed leveraged long and short ETFs, potentially forcing providers such as Direxion and ProShares to change the legal structure or leverage factor of affected products, or even close them down.

Elkhorn Capital Group, the research-based investment solutions provider, has launched a US equity income exchange-traded fund based on a strategy created by Research Affiliates, one of the pioneers of smart beta investing, and the methodology of index provider FTSE Russell. “We are excited to be partnering with leading global innovators like Research Affiliates and FTSE Russell,” said Ben Fulton, Founder and CEO of Elkhorn. “Income remains an important area of need for investors and Research Affiliates brings a new and thoughtful approach to high yield equity investing.”