Global gold-backed ETFs/ETPs enjoyed their strongest month of net inflows during April since early 2017, according to data from the World Gold Council. Despite a 1% drop in the gold price over the month, flows into gold ETFs remained steady throughout April leading to an increase in assets under management of 3% ($3.1bn).

Trading activity on Tradeweb’s European-listed ETF marketplace remained solid in April with total traded volume at €16.7 billion. Europe Equities emerged as the month’s most heavily-traded ETF category. Adriano Pace, managing director for equity derivatives at Tradeweb, said: “April saw the return of the equity ETF buyer, reversing the sell-off that took hold of the market in the two preceding months.”

Australian ETF provider BetaShares has launched the BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (A200 AU) on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). A200 tracks the Solactive Australia 200 Index, which provides exposure to 200 of the largest companies listed on ASX, weighted by free-float market capitalisation.

The World Gold Council (WGC) is anticipated to launch a new gold-backed ETF, reports Reuters. The WGC owns the world’s largest gold-backed ETF—the SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD US), which is marketed by ETF giant SSGA— but is creating a second gold offering with lower management fees.

DWS Group, the asset manager recently spun out of Deutsche Bank, has introduced a euro-hedged version of its core US equity ETF on Xetra. The newly listed Xtrackers MSCI USA UCITS ETF 2C – EUR Hedged (XD9E GR) share class offers euro-referenced investors currency-hedged equity exposure to large and medium-sized US companies.

The Lyxor ETF research team has looked into the potential effects rising inflation could have on US ETF allocations for investors—specifically regarding exposures to inflation-protected bonds, commodities and energy stocks. ETF investors are well provided for when it comes to positioning portfolios accordingly.

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.

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%.

ETFs exposed to energy stocks have outperformed the broader equity ETF universe in April, with several funds notching up returns in excess of 11% for the month. Two ETFs which track the MSCI World Energy Index—the Lyxor MSCI World Energy TR UCITS ETF (NRGW LN) and Xtrackers MSCI World Energy Index UCITS ETF (XDW0 LN)—returned 10.0% and 9.3% respectively.

ETF Securities Australia has reached $1 billion in assets under management, driven, the firm says, by investors seeking easy, transparent and low-cost access to a range of asset classes. Kris Walesby, CEO of ETF Securities Australia, commented, “It is significant that each year Australian investors become more confident and comfortable using ETFs to build their portfolios in a simple and low-cost way.”