Seven new ETFs have been listed on the South Korean Stock Exchange. Hanwha has issued five equity funds which track smart beta versions of the KOSPI 200 Index, while KBSTAR has issued two fixed income funds offering exposure to ten-year Korean Treasury bonds.

DWS has launched four new Xtrackers-branded ETFs, providing exposure to equities of firms with high environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings, as well as small current and expected future carbon footprints. The funds, which target large- and mid-cap stocks in Japan, the US, Europe and globally, harness sustainability ratings from index provider MSCI.

An increasingly assertive US foreign policy and a strengthening dollar have contributed to a global sell-off in emerging markets, with Turkey and Latin America among those suffering the biggest falls. ETFs tracking Turkish equities are down almost 15% over the month, and ETFs linked to Mexico and Latin America are down about 10% and 6% respectively. Flows into EM ETFs have also been pared.

BlackRock has launched the iShares Inflation Hedged Corporate Bond ETF (LQDI US) on Cboe ETF Marketplace. The fund seeks to mitigate unexpected inflation risk – inflation going up beyond market expectations – in a portfolio composed of US dollar-denominated, investment grade corporate bonds. This means that Inflation risk will be reduced, but investors will still be exposed to interest rate risk and credit risk.

BlackRock is to convert 14 of its ASX-listed iShares US-domiciled ETFs to Australian-domiciled ETFs, removing the need for Australian investors to complete the US IRS’s W8-BEN form.

Australian investment research house InvestSMART has launched its first exchange-traded managed fund: the InvestSMART Australian Equity Income Fund (INIF AU). The actively managed fund aims to generate income without forsaking capital growth by investing in a relatively concentrated portfolio (10 – 35 stocks) of cash-rich Australia-listed equities.

Investment in ETFs in Asian institutional fixed income portfolios surged last year, according to the Greenwich Associates 2017 Asian ETF Study. In 2017, allocations to ETFs grew to 17.1% of total fixed income assets, up from just 6.6% in 2016. Andrew McCollum, Greenwich Associates consultant and author of the report, commented, “With market volatility on the upswing and interest rates in key markets around the world expected to climb, Greenwich Associates expects this growth in ETF use and allocation to continue over a longer-term horizon.”

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.”

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.