Investors top concerns when deciding to invest in an ETF are choosing the right ETF, the complexity of an ETF and the tracking difference between the ETF and the underlying index, according to the results of a recent survey by trading platform E*TRADE. The research, conducted in January 2017, sought to look into the minds and behaviours of self-identified experienced investors by featuring 904 active US investors who manage a portfolio of at least $10,000 in an online brokerage account.

Global analytics firm Cerulli Associates has reported that an increasing number of Asian asset managers are ramping up their passive capabilities, including providing greater access to strategic beta strategies. The report found this trend is being driven by increasing regulatory scrutiny on fees and the rise of online distribution, including robo-advisory, which is further powering the proliferation of low-cost investing. The findings are supportive of further growth in the region’s ETF industry.

ETF Securities’ Gold ETPs recorded their second-highest inflows of the year during the week beginning 20 March, adding $167 million, according to the firm’s latest ETF weekly flows analysis. The London-based commodity ETF specialist has attributed the surge in demand to expectations of Fed dovishness supporting gold prices further.

Copia Capital Management, the discretionary fund management division of Novia Financial, has launched a range of ETF managed portfolios purpose-built for decumulation of assets during retirement. The portfolios are designed to mitigate what is considered to be the key retirement concern – shortfall risk, the risk of running out of money. Henry Cobbe, Head of Copia Capital Management, said: “Decumulation is very different from accumulation. It has different objectives, different risks and requires a different investment approach. We don’t think it is right to recycle old thinking into this new world.”

ProShares has launched two new ETFs providing triple leveraged and triple inverse leveraged access to West Texas Intermediate crude oil. The ProShares UltraPro 3x Crude Oil ETF (NYSE: OILU) and ProShares UltraPro 3x Short Crude Oil ETF (NYSE: OILD) track the daily performance of the Bloomberg WTI Crude Oil Subindex, providing 3x and -3x exposure respectively.

Gold mining equities are currently trading at highly attractive valuations and have the potential to close the gap on the price of gold, according to commentary from VanEck, the provider of the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners UCITS ETF (LON: GDX) and the VanEck Vectors Junior Gold Miners UCITS ETF (LON: GDXJ).

By Thomas Verbraken, Vice President, Risk and Regulation Research at MSCI.

Ten months after the United Kingdom voted to exit the European Union, the negotiations over the UK’s departure are about to begin. While the process could take up to two years, institutional investors may seek to assess how Brexit may affect their portfolios. Using MSCI’s stress-testing capabilities, we examined three hypothetical scenarios that we summarize as a rough Brexit, a smooth Brexit and a Brexit that benefits the UK.

Euronext and corporate social responsibility ratings firm Vigeo Eiris have launched the CAC 40 Governance Index, a thematic index that rates companies in the CAC 40 Index, the flagship French equity market benchmark, based on their corporate governance performance.

The Barron’s 400 ETF (NYSE: BFOR) has increased its allocation to large-caps following the latest review of the Barron’s 400 Index. Co-created by US financial journal Barron’s, and equity indexing firm MarketGrader, the index tracks 400 US companies with strong financial statements and attractive share prices. Carlos Diez, CEO of MarketGrader said: “While the index still leans towards [mid caps], the increase in large-caps reflects the selective ‘growth at a reasonable price’ opportunities that have opened up in the large company segment.”

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange have launched a green bond index series, including the first Chinese green bond index to provide synchronous quotes between China and Europe. The new index series will act as a market benchmark for the increasingly mainstream green bond market in China, and may serve to underlie future investment products including exchange-traded funds.