S&P Dow Jones Indices has launched a series of target date indices. The S&P Target Date Style Index Series is designed to help defined contribution plan sponsors screen, select and monitor target date funds by providing separate performance comparisons for “to” versus “through” glide paths. Glide path refers to the tendency of a target date fund’s asset allocation to become more conservative as the fund’s target date approaches.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced the launch of the S&P GIVI China A-Share, the first index of its kind in the Chinese market to combine low volatility and an alternative weighting scheme that weights a stock by intrinsic value, rather than market-capitalisation. The index, created in collaboration with Goldman Sachs, seeks to provide investors with better risk-adjusted exposure to the Chinese A-share equity market.

Source has announced that its physical gold ETC has crossed $2.5 billion in assets. The Source Physical Gold P-ETC (SGLD), which is secured by physical metal held in JP Morgan’s London vaults, is now among the largest exchange-traded physical gold products globally. Stefan Garcia, head of commodity ETC sales at Source, said, “Investors look to precious metals as both an investment opportunity and a safe haven. The concept of a physical holding, coupled with the ability to access it in times of crisis, is part of their appeal.”

With global markets in a state of flux, currency-hedged ETFs have come into their own. This has certainly been the case with dollar-hedged ETFs, which have tended to outperform their unhedged counterparts this year. The reason for the outperformance has been the strength of the dollar versus other currencies. Martin Kremenstein, Head of North American ETP Management at db-X, says: “As we have seen with the db-X funds, investors have benefited from currency-hedged positions in Japan, Brazil and across EAFE.”

UBS, the Switzerland-headquartered investment bank, has expanded its suite of exchange-traded products based on Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) with the launch of the UBS ETRACS Alerian MLP Index ETN (AMU). AMU has been listed on the NYSE Arca and is linked to the Alerian MLP Index, a composite of 50 publicly-traded energy MLPs.

ProShares, a US-based provider of alternative ETFs, has announced the launch of the ProShares Ultra Australian Dollar ETF (GDAY) and the ProShares UltraShort Australian Dollar ETF (CROC). The two funds – the first in the US to deliver double-leveraged long and short exposure to the Australian dollar versus the US dollar – provide investors with an efficient tool to hedge existing exposures or take advantage of tactical short-term trends in the AUD/USD rate.

The Wall Street Journal has introduced the WSJ Dollar Index to provide a more precise measure of the value of the US dollar, an essential benchmark for traders and corporate treasurers who need to discern the true measure of investing abroad or domestically. The WSJ Dollar Index is based on the latest data on total FX trading volume from the Bank for International Settlements, a supranational organisation of central banks.

Deutsche Bank’s ETF platform, DB X-trackers, has listed its DB X-trackers CSI 300 Index ETF (XCHA) on the London Stock Exchange, making it Europe’s largest China A-shares ETF by assets under management. The CSI 300 Index tracks the performance of 300 A-shares listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, and provides broad exposure to the Mainland China economy. A-shares are quoted in Chinese renminbi and have traditionally been difficult for investors outside of China to access.

Global X Funds, the New York-based ETF provider, has launched the Global X SuperIncome Preferred ETF (SPFF). SPFF is designed to track 50 of the highest yielding preferred securities in North America. “For investors seeking higher investment income, SPFF offers relatively efficient access to preferred stocks that could potentially provide greater yields,” said Bruno del Ama, chief executive officer of Global X Funds.

Do ETFs turn long-term investors into speculative day traders, as some critics claim? Not according to a new Vanguard study, which found that most investors exhibit buy-and-hold behaviour whether investing in a traditional index fund or ETF. “Our individual investor data show that the majority of both traditional mutual fund and ETF investments are held in a prudent, buy-and-hold manner,” said Joel Dickson, one of the study’s authors and a principal in Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group.