The recently launched CSOP FTSE China A50 RQFII ETF is now the largest Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (RQFII) exchange-traded fund (ETF), according to FTSE Group, the fund’s benchmark provider. The fund is the first physical ETF based on the FTSE China A50 Index and offers investors the most direct channel for participation in the China blue-chip market.

Russell Investments has introduced a new family of indices designed to help investors gain exposure to emerging markets via developed market companies. “Where a company is headquartered is no longer the primary factor in how it makes money,” said Tom Goodwin, Russell Indexes senior research director. “By more accurately identifying what percentage of developed market company revenue comes from emerging markets and assembling an index based on this exposure, we offer an efficient way to access emerging market opportunities”.

Source has announced the launch of 14 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the SIX Swiss Exchange. These debut ETF listings add to the firm’s existing range of 16 exchange-traded commodities (ETCs) listed on the exchange. Source’s product range on SIX now spans several asset classes and includes many of the London-based provider’s flagship products, including the $3 billion Source Physical Gold P-ETC (SGLD). With this launch, Source also becomes the first provider to list US sector ETFs on the exchange.

AdvisorShares, a US-based sponsor of actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has announced the launch of the AdvisorShares STAR Global Buy-Write ETF (VEGA). The fund seeks consistent repeatable returns across all market cycles by using a proprietary “buy-write” strategy known as ‘Volatility Enhanced Global Appreciation’.

Lyxor, one of Europe’s leading providers of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has announced plans to a launch a range of physically replicated ETFs. Until now, the Paris-based asset manager and subsidiary of Societe Generale had favoured a swap-based, synthetic replication approach. While Lyxor said the decision was designed to fully address investors’ requirements and offer its clients “the best of both worlds”, the move has been seen as a direct response to investors’ growing preference for physically replicated ETFs.

ALPS Advisors has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Goldman Sachs to license the investment bank’s proprietary indices for use as benchmarks to create exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

BlackRock has announced the launch of the iShares MSCI Frontier 100 Index ETF (FM), the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) benchmarked to the MSCI Frontier Markets 100 Index. The fund provides exposure to 20 frontier market securities that are specifically screened for liquidity. Representing 30% of the global population, frontier markets are forecast to be among the world’s fastest growing economies, driven by an expanding consumer class and a rich supply of natural resources.

ETF managed portfolios are investment strategies that typically have more than 50% of portfolio assets invested in ETFs. Primarily available as separate accounts, they represent one of the fastest growing segments of the US managed account universe. According to data from Morningstar, which tracks almost 490 ETF managed portfolios from 120 different firms, assets under management in this space have grown 30% in the first six months of this year and 48% since September 2011.

S&P Dow Jones has launched the S&P GIVI Global Growth Markets Tilt Index. The Goldman Sachs-conceived index offers low-volatility fundamental-weighted exposure to so-called ‘Growth Markets’. Jim O’Neill, Chairman of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, said: “We see more and more investors looking beyond classic market beta for factors that influence performance and risk.”

ETF Securities, one of Europe’s leading providers of exchange-traded products (ETPs), has marked its debut in Switzerland with the launch of an initial suite of ‘thematic’ exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the SIX Swiss Exchange. The eight funds ETF Securities has launched provide investors with an alternative approach to traditional equity investing and are focused around five key themes.