BATS Global Markets (BATS), a leading US-based exchange for the trading of exchange-traded funds, has announced that three new ETFs from WisdomTree, a leading ETF sponsor, have begun trading on BATS Exchange. Laura Morrison, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Exchange-Traded Products at BATS added, “We are excited WisdomTree has selected BATS as the listing venue for these three new ETFs and we look forward to a strong relationship. Through our innovative market maker and issuer incentive programs, we are focused on making markets better for today’s ETF issuers.”

ETF Managers Group, a white-label services provider to the exchange-traded funds industry, has launched the first ETF to focus exclusively on restaurants (NASDAQ: BITE). The fund aims to track the BITE Index which has been created by investment firm Big Tree Capital to track the performance of the world’s most recognisable and iconic restaurant brands. “The average American household spends over $2,600 a year at restaurants. BITE gives investors the ability to literally ‘put their money where their mouth is,’ allowing them to invest in conjunction with their own spending habits,” said Kevin Carter, Founder and CEO of Big Tree Capital and the creator and owner of The BITE Index.

State Street Global Advisors has launched the SPDR MSCI China A Shares IMI ETF (XINA). The fund tracks the MSCI China A International IMI Index which offers a broad exposure to almost 1,800 renminbi-denominated, domestically-listed Chinese shares. “Given that China is both the second largest economy and the second largest equity market in the world, we feel it’s important to have exposure in your portfolio,” said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist for State Street Global Advisors’ US intermediary business. “Broader exposure, with the benefits of diversification may be valuable in the long-term as these market developments create potentially long-term investment opportunities for A-shares even as short-term volatility may remain high.”

Commerzbank, the German bank behind the ComStage range of exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of a family of investable indices based on fund flow data from EPFR, a leading fund flow and asset allocation provider. Covering multiple asset classes including equities, commodities, fixed income and multi-asset, the indices track systematic strategies that utilise the predictive power of fund flow data to make asset allocation decisions. Their systematic nature means they can also be used as the basis for index-linked products such as exchange-traded funds.

The benefits of exchange-traded funds over the traditional mutual fund structure have driven the growth of these investment products over past decades. As adoption increases investors must be aware of the true cost of ETF investing. To facilitate this experts from Pershing and BNY Mellon have delivered a white paper outlining what investors need to assess when buying an ETF. “It is important for advisors to be as well informed as possible about the apparent and underlying factors that influence the cost of their ownership,” said Justin Fay, vice president and solutions manager for alternative investments and ETFs at Pershing.

Etho Capital, the US-based sustainable investment manager, has launched the Etho Climate Leadership Index (ECLI), a diversified index that is divested from fossil fuels and focused on climate efficiency in other industries. The company plans to launch an exchange-traded fund based on US equities in the index later in 2015. The inclusion of an ESG screen in the index methodology looks to favour companies who operate sustainably. “Companies with efficient supply chains and management teams that plan for the long run are likely to do better in our changing climate,” said Conor Platt, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of Etho Capital.

WisdomTree, the exchange-traded fund provider behind the Boost ETP product range, has released a report tracking the global asset flows into short and leveraged (S&L) products. “September was a strong month for short & leveraged ETPs as investors took advantage of heightened volatility to position opportunistically or hedge their exposures,” said Viktor Nossek, Director of Research for WisdomTree Europe. “Of particular note were the inflows of over $3.7bn into S&L ETPs tracking US, Japanese and European equities last month.”

A review of exchange-traded fund activity by BNY Mellon, the global financial services provider, indicates that ETF issuers are favouring the launch of alternatives- and derivatives-based funds this year. “Growing interest from registered investment advisors looking for downside protection appears to be an important driver of the growth of alternatives-based ETFs,” said Steve Cook, business executive, structured product services at BNY Mellon. “In addition the possibility of rising interest rates has advisors looking for alternatives to fixed income investments. The structure and tax efficiencies of ETFs enhance the attractiveness of this type of investment.”

Stoxx Limited, a leading European index provider, has launched the V-VSTOXX indices, which are designed to measure the expected volatility of the EURO STOXX 50 volatility. “As markets continue to react to recent geopolitical activity in Europe, it is crucial for investors to be able to accurately gauge the level of uncertainty in the markets and their impact on trading instruments. The V-VSTOXX indices provide deeper insight into the expected near-term volatility of the volatility markets for the Eurozone, which makes them essential tools for investment and trading professionals seeking to manage risks inherent to this asset class,” said Hartmut Graf, chief executive officer of Stoxx Limited.

Guggenheim Investments has announced the launch of the Guggenheim BulletShares 2023 High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (BSJN) and the Guggenheim BulletShares 2025 Corporate Bond ETF (BSCP). “Our investment-grade and high yield BulletShares offer investors a creative way to tap into the fixed income market by focusing on securities with a given maturity date,” said William Belden, Managing Director, Head of ETF Business Development at Guggenheim Investments. “The defined-maturity feature continues to be an effective investment strategy for investors looking to save for life events like retirement and college costs amid a volatile economic environment.”