Invesco has reduced the annual fee on its $4.5 billion physical gold ETC from 0.29% to 0.24%. Following the price cut, the Invesco Physical Gold ETC now offers the lowest overall cost of any gold ETP available in Europe. “One of the big attractions of gold as an investment is that it tends to behave differently than other asset classes, especially equities. For investors considering adding exposure, we’ve just made it even more attractive from a cost perspective,” said Chris Mellor, Head of EMEA ETF Commodity Product Management at Invesco.

ETF providers are poised to capture a bigger slice of affluent investors’ assets, according to the results of a Cogent Reports study. “We see signs of growth in ETFs from both current investors and those who are new to the category,” said Julia Johnston-Ketterer, Senior Product Director at Market Strategies International. “Additionally, ETF providers receive tremendous distribution support from financial advisors.”

JP Morgan Asset Management has launched two new actively managed fixed income ETFs on NYSE Arca: the JPMorgan US Aggregate Bond ETF (JAGG US) and JPMorgan Corporate Bond Research Enhanced ETF (JIGB US). “With the launch of these two ETFs, investors now have more choice and the tools necessary to navigate the complexities of today’s bond markets while building stronger portfolios,” said Joanna Gallegos, US Head of ETFs at JP Morgan Asset Management.

WisdomTree has unveiled the WisdomTree Yield Enhanced Global Aggregate Bond Fund (GLBY US) on NYSE Arca. The fund seeks to provide a superior yield compared to standard core global aggregate benchmarks while limiting tracking error and risk. “GLBY provides investors a simple and cost-effective way to access multiple economies, interest rates and yield curves with the prospect of higher return potential and lower absolute risk than domestic bond markets alone,” said Rick Harper, WisdomTree Head of Fixed Income.

IndexIQ, a New York Life Investments company, has launched the IQ 500 International ETF (IQIN US) on NYSE Arca. The smart beta fund provides exposure to equities listed in developed markets excluding the US that have superior quality characteristics.

BlackRock has launched a new ETF in Europe providing exposure to emerging market stocks with strong value characteristics. The iShares Edge MSCI EM Value Factor UCITS ETF has been listed on the London Stock Exchange (EMVL LN) and Xetra (5MVL GY) and is linked to the MSCI EM Select Value Factor Focus Index. The index screens the parent MSCI EM universe for stocks with higher exposure to the value style factor.

Ossiam has launched the Ossiam World ESG Machine Learning UCITS ETF, a new smart beta ETF which uses machine learning techniques to provide ESG-focused exposure to global developed market stocks. “It has always been Ossiam’s mission to drive the investment industry forward,” said Bruno Poulin, CEO of Ossiam. “This strategy and ETF mark a key turning point in combining ESG principles with advanced investment techniques as we reach a tipping point for ESG, driven by policy makers, regulators and investors.”

BMO Investments has launched two actively managed, high-conviction equity ETFs on Toronto Stock Exchange. The BMO SIA Focused Canadian Equity ETF (ZFC CN) and BMO SIA Focused North American Equity ETF (ZFN CN) provide exposure to concentrated portfolios of Canadian and North American stocks, respectively. “High-conviction portfolios – concentrated in fewer stocks than traditional funds – are increasingly in demand,” said Mark Raes, Head of Product Management Canada, BMO Global Asset Management. “We are committed to meeting the needs of advisors for their clients.”

JP Morgan Asset Management has launched three fixed income ETFs in Europe designed to offer a better alternative to traditional passive corporate bond strategies. The funds provide similar risk and portfolio construction characteristics to well-known bond benchmarks but seek an enhanced level of return through limited active management. Bryon Lake, Head of International ETFs at JP Morgan Asset Management, said, “Avoiding uncompensated risks through intelligent sector and security selection can help deliver even stronger risk-adjusted returns.”

Taipei-based, privately owned investment manager Paradigm Asset Management has launched the Paradigm Dow Jones Copper ER Futures ETF (00763U TT) on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE). The new commodity ETF provides investors with exposure to fluctuations in the price of copper through futures contracts.