Pan-European exchange Euronext has extended its exchange-traded fund listing and trading capabilities to London, giving ETF issuers access to UK investors while continuing to benefit from Euronext’s trading and distribution network. The first ETFs to list on Euronext London this morning were the Lyxor FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Developed UCITS ETF and the Lyxor Euro Stoxx Banks UCITS ETF. “London is an important ETF market and the UK distribution network is increasingly valuable mainly thanks to the Retail Distribution Review which is now starting to facilitate ETF penetration among the retail community,” said Lee Hodgkinson, Head of Markets & Global Sales and CEO Euronext London.

Stock exchange group Bats Global Markets has welcomed US-based exchange-traded funds provider REX Shares as a new issuer to The Bats ETF Marketplace with the launch of two new ETFs. The REX VolMAXX Long VIX Weekly Futures Strategy ETF (VMAX) provides investors with exposure to the VIX Index, also known as the ‘fear index’. VIX is a reference for the implied volatility derived from current derivative prices of the S&P 500 Index, a broad-based reference for the large-cap US equity market. The REX VolMAXX Inverse VIX Weekly Futures Strategy ETF (VMIN) provides investors with inverse exposure to the VIX Index. Laura Morrison, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Exchange Traded Products at Bats, commented: “We’re thrilled to have their two new innovative products listed on the Bats ETF Marketplace and we look forward to a strong partnership.”

First Trust Advisors, a global exchange-traded fund provider and asset manager has cross-listed the First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA), the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund (QCLN) and the First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF (CIBR) on the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores. These ETFs present an opportunity for Mexican investors to access niche sectors of the economy while diversifying risk and maintaining lower costs than traditional mutual funds.

Positive first quarter economic data from China suggests the market is set to once again find favour with investors in 2016, according to exchange-traded funds provider Source. Investment spending has grown 10.7% year-on-year to March 2016, while industrial production rose 6.8% and retail sales climbed 10.5% in the same time period. Aggregate financing also rose to CNY6.5tn in Q1, up from CNY4.6tn a year ago. This is perhaps the best indication that local financial institutions believe the economy will expand over the medium term. However, the sharp increase in aggregate financing may also be viewed negatively by some investors who perceive it as further increasing China’s already ballooned debt pile.

iShares has expanded its suite of socially responsible exchange-traded funds with a new fund targeting global companies that enable positive social and environmental change. Martin Small, Managing Director and Head of US iShares, said : “The iShares Sustainable MSCI Global Impact ETF provides an easy way for investors to gain exposure to companies that have a record of positive environmental and social impact, and further strengthens our suite of socially responsible ETFs. These ETFs in particular are seeking to meet growing demand from investors who are looking to have a positive impact and seek global equity market returns.”

Deutsche Asset Management has launched a GBP-hedged share class on the London Stock Exchange of one of its most high profile fixed income exchange-traded funds, the db x-trackers II Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index UCITS ETF (XBGG). The fund mimics the performance of the Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index, which tracks the market for government, governmental, supranational, corporate, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities across the full spectrum of maturities in the BBB to AAA credit rating range, and on a global basis.

Exchange-traded fund provider Deutsche Asset Management has launched the Deutsche X-trackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF (DEMG), which provides exposure to emerging market companies that have demonstrated relatively strong exposure to factors such as value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The ETF is the latest multifactor fund from the provider and will track the FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor Index. The ETF’s total expense ratio is 0.50%. Fiona Bassett, Head of Passive in the Americas, said in a statement: “Emerging market equities may be an interesting opportunity for diversification or growth.”

Global index provider FTSE Russell has launched the FTSE4Good ASEAN 5 Index, adding to its existing FTSE4Good family of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) themed indices. The new index tracks the performance of companies listed on the five ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) exchanges: Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. Using FTSE Russell’s ESG ratings methodology, companies are assessed on over 300 indicators, both qualitative and quantitative, covering 14 themes. The FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to help investors integrate ESG factors into their investment decisions. The indices identify companies that better manage ESG risks and can be used as a basis for tracker funds, exchange-traded funds, structured products and as performance benchmarks.

New-York based company CrowdInvest, the creator behind stock sentiment rating program Crowd-Invest Mobile App, has launched a new exchange traded fund that tracks the performance of US equities with the most bullish sentiment as determined by an independent, diverse crowd. The CrowdInvest Wisdom ETF (NYSE: WIZE) attempts to provide superior returns compared to similar US market cap-weighted benchmarks. The fund works by recording activity on the mobile application of users’ independent opinions. The app asks users to state whether they hold a bullish or bearish view for a particular stock and use the cumulative responses to approximate the population’s outlook for those securities.

US exchange-traded fund provider WisdomTree has announced its intention to enter the Canadian ETF market with the launch of its subsidiary WisdomTree Canada, pending approval from local regulators. The move marks the second foray into a foreign market for the firm this year following the launch of WisdomTree Japan in February. WisdomTree CEO and President Jonathan Steinberg, commented: “Canada represents an exciting opportunity for WisdomTree. As a pure-play ETF provider, WisdomTree sees great potential to help grow the ETF market and to deliver our innovative and highly differentiated products to Canadian investors.”