By Stephen Cohen, head of iShares EMEA at BlackRock.

With post-trade transparency, prior assumptions around higher ETF trading volumes have met expectations, to the benefit and comfort of many investors. MiFID II and greater cost sensitivity broadly have also begun accelerating the shift towards fee-based advisory models, generating more attention on ETFs from distributors – the Italian market is an interesting case in point.

Nomura Asset Management has launched two new ETFs on Tokyo Stock Exchange, providing passively managed exposure to emerging market bonds and equities.

Gold-backed ETFs exhibited particularly low volatility in 2017 with prices so far remaining stable into 2018. Matthew Turner, precious metals analyst at Macquarie, suggests the historically low volatility in the gold market may reflect fundamental changes which could be here to stay.

BlackRock advocates building greater resilience into portfolios, citing a wider range of possibilities for the economic outlook. It argues that the greater variability in possible outcomes − along with rising interest rates − has contributed to tightening financial conditions, warranting increased hardiness in portfolios.

Nasdaq Nordic has unveiled the OMX Stockholm 30 ESG Responsible Index, an ESG-focused version of Sweden’s bellwether equity index. Based on the OMX Stockholm 30, the index follows a systematic screening process driven by data provided by ISS-Ethix.

By Ben Phillips, Chief Investment Officer, EventShares.

The 2019 appropriations process is underway in Washington DC, and Congress is making progress on the annual defense bills. There are four key bills, including a defense authorization bill in both the House and Senate and an appropriations bill in both the House and Senate.

China Post Global has launched the Market Access Markit iBoxx EUR Contingent Convertible Liquid Developed Market AT1 Index UCITS ETF on LSE, Euronext Amsterdam and SIX Swiss Exchange. “This is an exciting new ETF for which we’re seeing considerable demand from institutional investors” said Danny Dolan, MD of China Post Global (UK).

UBS Asset Management has launched two new multi-factor equity ETFs targeting eurozone and developed global markets stocks. The funds, the UBS MSCI EMU Select Factor Mix UCITS ETF and UBS MSCI World Select Factor Mix UCITS ETF, seek to capture the returns attributed to six risk premia – momentum, value, quality, shareholder yield, volatility and size. They have been listed across various exchanges, including Xetra, London Stock Exchange, Six Swiss Exchange and Borsa Italiana.

Gold-backed ETFs/ETPs experienced net outflows across all regions during June apart from Europe, where very modest net inflows were recorded, according to data from the World Gold Council.

Investment adviser KKM Financial, in partnership with Nasdaq Dorsey Wright, has launched the Model Account Platform (MAP), a separately managed account platform which provides access to investible ETF model portfolios powered by Nasdaq Dorsey Wright’s relative-strength expertise. The platform offers two suites of ETF model portfolios, constructed using universes of either BlackRock iShares or DWS Xtrackers ETFs.