Exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products listed globally gathered record net inflows of $63.6bn in June and $347.7bn over the first half of this year, according to research by ETF industry consultant ETFGI. This marks a significant increase compared to the net inflows of $123.5bn recorded over the first six months of 2016.

ETFs that track the performance of Brazil equities are among the top performing ETFs in Europe over the last month. Brazil equity ETFs from Lyxor, iShares, Deutsche Asset Management, HSBC and Amundi are all up over 10% in the month to 25 July 2017.

SIX Swiss Exchange has introduced the SXI Real Estate All Shares Index, tracking the performance of companies operating within the real estate sector with a primary listing on SIX. The index is an extension of the existing SXI Real Estate Index family and is suitable to underlie future investment products including ETFs.

UBS has listed new shares classes for two of its ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange. The ETFs are the UBS ETF MSCI Canada UCITS ETF (SIX: CANA) and the UBS ETF MSCI Japan UCITS ETF (SIX: JPNA). Both new share classes will reinvest any income received from dividends and will supplement existing share classes that distribute dividends.

Japanese equities have further upside potential after their recent rally, according to market commentary by BlackRock. Easy monetary policy, low valuations and an improving earnings outlook should all help to sustain upwards momentum seen since the middle of 2016. Such tailwinds will likely benefit broad market Japan equity ETFs such as the popular $2.8 billion iShares Core MSCI Japan IMI UCITS ETF (LON: SJPA).

Horizons ETFs Management US has announced that its flagship fund, the Horizons Nasdaq 100 Covered Call ETF (Nasdaq: QYLD), has surpassed $100 million in AUM. The fund replicates a covered call strategy on the Nasdaq 100 Index. Garrett Paolella, managing director at Horizons US, commented: “QYLD gives investors across the spectrum access to professional options management and this milestone is a testament to the team’s success.”

WisdomTree has announced that its model portfolios will now be available on the Envestnet Wealth Management platform. Luciano Siracusano, WisdomTree’s chief investment strategist, commented: “We are pleased to be working with Envestnet to add WisdomTree’s model portfolios into its wealth management platform. Through the platform, advisors and ultimately their clients, will now have access to WisdomTree’s unique model portfolios which incorporate both asset allocation and ETF selection, further demonstrating our commitment to innovation.”

Lyxor has launched two new ETFs, the Lyxor FTSE USA Core Infrastructure Capped UCITS ETF (LON: BILD) and the Lyxor FTSE Developed Europe Core Infrastructure Capped UCITS ETF (LON: MAKE), tracking companies from the US and European infrastructure sectors respectively. According to Lyxor, the ETFs may offer investors a steady source of income which is less sensitive to short-term market cycles and hedged against inflation.

By Viktor Nossek, director of research at WisdomTree in Europe.

Italy’s failure to pass a new electoral law last year means it must now hold elections during a period when the 2018 budget must be approved. This presents a risk to political stability which may renew speculative attacks on Italian sovereigns and bank stocks.

Satrix Managers, the company to launch the first ETF in South Africa, has rolled out three new ETFs on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), providing access to global, US and emerging market equities. To gain its designated exposures, Satrix will invest in funds of the iShares Core Series UCITS ETFs.