Index provider Solactive has launched the Solactive Australia 200 Index, tracking the performance of the 200 largest companies by market capitalisation listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Timo Pfeiffer, head of research at Solactive, commented: “With the Solactive Australia 200 Index, we are targeting investors interested in gaining access to the largest corporations driving the Australian economy.”

EQM Indexes has launched the EQM Battery Metals and Mining Index, providing exposure to companies worldwide in the metal and material supply chain for advanced battery technologies. Jane Edmondson, CEO and co-founder of EQM Indexes, said, “These companies offer investors the opportunity to participate in the growth of battery technology, which is benefiting from accelerating global demand, especially for electric vehicles.”

US institutional investors are stepping up their use of ETFs to meet a wide range of strategic and tactical goals, according to the results of a survey by Greenwich Associates.

VanEck Vectors’ recently launched global mining ETF has been cross-listed onto Deutsche Börse’s Xetra and Börse Frankfurt. The VanEck Vectors Global Mining UCITS ETF (WMIN GY) provides investors with access to equities, ADRs and GDRs of metal and mining companies worldwide.

Societe Generale has launched a series of 74 inverse and leveraged ETPs on London Stock Exchange. The product suite provides investors with leveraged daily long and short exposures to commodities, currency pairs and mainstream equity indices.

Some 90% of mainland China investors are likely to invest in Hong Kong ETFs when they are included in the China-Hong Kong Stock Connect, according to a survey by ETF custodian and administrator Brown Brothers Harriman. Chris Pigott, BBH’s head of Hong Kong ETF servicing, commented, “The inclusion of ETFs in Stock Connect will open another cross-border channel for mainland investors to deploy their capital and further diversify their investment.”

ETFs providing exposure to high-yield corporate bonds enjoyed strong returns in April, bouncing back from weak performance in the first quarter of 2018. BlackRock’s iShares $ High Yield Corp Bond UCITS ETF (SHYU LN)—the largest of its kind listed in Europe with over $3.8 billion in assets under management—was among the top high-yield performers for the month, with a return of 2.5%.

Over half (53%) of UK-based wealth managers are using sector ETFs to implement investment strategies, according to a recent survey commissioned by SPDR ETFs, with the trend expected to increase. Claire Perryman, UK head of SPDR ETFs, commented, “As wealth managers seek to build targeted exposures with less concentration risk than single stocks, we expect this trend to continue throughout 2018 and beyond.”

By Matthew Bartolini, head of SPDR Americas research at SSGA.

When it comes to active management, underperformance can be costly for investors relying on these strategies to beat the market. But just how costly is underperformance? We conducted an analysis to answer that question and found at least $300 billion of active equity management is not worth its fees. Here’s a closer look at our findings—and what they mean for investors who use active strategies.

The first ETF to target the ETF industry – the ETF Industry Exposure & Financial Services ETF (TETF US) – has delivered a strong return of 36.0% in the first year since its launch on 30 April 2017. Mike Venuto, CIO of Toroso Investments, commented, “The key facets of the ETF structure – transparency, liquidity, lower costs – are by now well understood, but investors are just now catching onto the fact that as the ETF has gone mainstream, the ETF industry itself has emerged as a compelling investment idea.”