Invesco PowerShares has launched the PowerShares DWA Momentum & Low Volatility Rotation Portfolio (Nasdaq: DWLV), which switches its exposure between different segments of US equities, international equities, or cash depending on momentum signals in the market, while also adding exposure to the low volatility factor. The fund’s index is based on Dorsey, Wright & Associate’s expertise in relative strength analysis, a momentum technique that relies on unbiased, unemotional, objective data, rather than biased forecasting and subjective research.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has granted approval to petitions requesting the streamlining of the listing process for certain actively managed exchange-traded funds. The move allows active ETFs fitting a generic mould to avoid filing with the SEC detailed descriptions of their funds, and for the SEC to approve the filing, before the exchange can begin listings. Chris Concannon, CEO of Bats Global Markets, said: “This is a pivotal moment for the ETF industry as the introduction of these standards will help issuers of all sizes bring innovative funds to the market in weeks instead of months, and with more certainty of approval. In turn, investors will gain access to a much broader range of low-cost, high-performance investment products.”

New York-based investment adviser ARK Investment Management has launched the first US-listed exchange-traded fund to invest in companies operating in the 3D-printing ecosystem. The ARK 3D Printing ETF (Bats: PRNT) invests in companies from developed markets that are involved in 3D-printing hardware, computer-aided design & simulation software, service centres, scanning and measurement, and 3D-printing materials. Investors in the fund stand to benefit from the potential for 3D-printing to revolutionize manufacturing with global management consultant McKinsey projects a growth from $5.2bn to up to between $180bn and $490bn by 2025.

Smart beta ETF provider Ossiam has announced that its Ossiam Shiller Barclays CAPE US Sector Value TR UCITS ETF has attracted more than $400m since its launch in June last year. The ETF, which tracks the Ossiam Shiller Barclays CAPE US Sector Value TR Index, has returned 5.73% since it launched, which compares with the 0.44% delivered by the S&P 500 Net TR Index over the same period. The ETF’s underlying index is part of the CAPE indices, which was developed between Barclays and Prof. Robert Shiller. He said: “I am pleased to mark the first anniversary of the Ossiam Shiller Barclays CAPE US fund.”

US-based asset manager RiverFront Investment Group has launched the RiverShares series of asset allocation model portfolios, consisting solely of actively managed exchange-traded funds sub-advised by RiverFront. The firm has partnered with First Trust Portfolios and ALPS to offer the ETFs, which can be purchased as individual products or used within a RiverShares model. Michael Jones, RiverFront’s chairman and chief investment officer, commented: “We are very excited to bring to the marketplace an innovative new set of asset allocation solutions. These portfolios are designed to meet the needs of investors seeking active management of their ETF portfolios, but in a platform that makes greater use of the inherent tax advantages of the ETF structure.

Boston-based investment manager O’Shares Investments has announced that the O’Shares FTSE US Quality Dividend ETF (NYSE Arca: OUSA) outperformed the S&P 500 by 10.5% in the 12 months since its inception on 14 July last year. Kevin O’Leary, chairman of O’Shares ETF Investments, commented in a statement: “We are very pleased with the performance OUSA has generated for investors, getting over 90% of market upside performance and less than 50% of the market downside performance during the period, essentially winning by losing less.”

Niche index provider Solactive AG has launched a new index tracking UK listed companies whose revenues are primarily generated in the UK. The Solactive UK Domestic Index targets investors who are interested in the UK domestic market, which is the second largest market in Europe by GDP. The launch of the index comes a month after the EU Referendum result, which saw Britain vote to leave the European Union. Henning Kahre, Head of Research at Solactive AG, said in a statement: “London is one of the most important financial centres in the world and a listing on the LSE is therefore an attractive gateway to capital markets.”

Canadian exchange-traded fund provider Horizons ETFs has launched an actively managed ETF designed to keep risk levels balanced across all invested asset classes, regardless of market conditions. The Horizons Global Risk Parity ETF (Toronto: HRA) is the first locally listed ETF to offer Canadian investors access to a risk-parity strategy. Risk Parity theory states that optimal diversification is achieved through assigning portfolio allocations which target a balanced contribution of risk from each asset class. Steve Hawkins, Co-CEO, Horizons ETFs, said: “HRA strives to keep risk levels across asset classes similar to one another, which can result in lower overall volatility and potentially higher risk-adjusted returns.”

With bond yields at record lows – the 10-year gilt yield is down to 0.8% today from 3% in January 2014 – investors have been pushed towards alternative strategies for income, including European-domiciled emerging market dividend exchange-traded funds. The sector has yielded between 4% and 6% annually compared to 2% from developed market counterparts over the past three years, according to a new study from Morningstar. Iff investors want to include emerging market equities, they might be more tempted to place their capital specifically with emerging market dividend funds, where the relatively higher yield helps to compensate for the falling return of the underlying stocks.

Canadian exchange-traded funds provider Horizons ETFs has launched the Horizons Global Currency Opportunities ETF (Toronto: HGC), an actively managed fund providing exposure to worldwide currency markets. The ETF is sub-advised by CIBC Asset Management, one of Canada’s largest asset managers with over $26bn in currency-related assets, as of 30 June, 2016. “With one of the largest currency investment teams in North America, by AUM, we chose to partner with CIBC Asset Management on this ETF because of their diligent approach to selecting currency investments that have the potential for greater returns, without adding excess risk,” commented Steve Hawkins, Co-CEO, Horizons ETFs.