BMO Global Asset Management has released its annual ETF Outlook Report looking at some of the themes powering the ETF industry in the coming year, including fixed income, thematic investing and ESG. Also in the report is a forecast for the global ETF industry to grow to $10 trillion in assets under management by 2023.

ETFs listed in Canada saw record net inflows of $18.9 billion during 2017, according to data provided by ETF industry consultants ETFGI. This is up 48.5% on the total net inflows recorded in 2016 ($12.7bn) and 44.3% more than the previous record ($13.1bn) set in 2015.

BMO Asset Management has launched five new ETFs in Canada, including the country’s first ETF to offer access to Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller’s cyclically adjusted price-earnings (CAPE) methodology.

Shares of subprime lender Provident Financial, a favourite of star fund manager Neil Woodford, have dived nearly 70% following a profit warning, the resignation of its CEO and the cancellation of its dividend. While the stock is held in many well-known equity income funds, including strategies from Invesco Perpetual’s Mark Barnett plus actively managed funds from Jupiter, Rathbones, M&G and Aberdeen, it is notably absent from the BMO MSCI UK Income Leaders UCITS ETF (ZILK) and SPDR S&P UK Dividend Aristocrats UCITS ETF (UKDV) – two smart beta ETFs that deploy rules-based screens to achieve dividend sustainability.

Eleven new ETFs were listed on London Stock Exchange in July 2017, bringing the total number of ETFs or ETPs listed on the exchange to 921 and 457 respectively. ETF providers listing on the London market during July included Lyxor, BMO, ETF Securities and BlackRock.

Research from ETFGI shows assets in ETFs/ETPs listed in Canada grew by 19% during the first half of 2017 to set a new record high of $101 billion at the end of June. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of assets over the last ten years now stands at 21%.

Toronto Stock Exchange has announced that it has reached a significant milestone with 500 ETFs listed on its exchange. This number has more than doubled in the past five years, bringing the total market capitalization of listed ETFs to approximately $130 billion as of 30 June 2017.

UK companies distributed an all-time record £33.3 billion in dividends in the second quarter, comfortably beating the previous record of £29.1bn set in Q2 last year, according to research from Capita. The dividend windfall highlights the income-generating potential of UK stocks and is likely to enhance the appeal of UK income ETFs to yield-seeking investors.

BMO Global Asset Management has launched a suite of enhanced income ETFs on London Stock Exchange. The three ETFs – tracking UK, eurozone and US equities – provide exposure to stocks with sustainable dividend yields and also utilise a covered call option overlay strategy. Rob Thorpe, head of UK intermediary, BMO Global Asset Management (EMEA), said: “Investors’ search for yield is as strong as ever, as is their focus on ensuring their portfolios are protected on the downside, minimising volatility risk.”

BMO Global Asset Management is planning to launch three new ETFs on the London Stock Exchange tracking the FTSE 100, Euro Stoxx 50 and S&P 500 indices while boosting portfolio income through the use of covered call overlay strategies. Chris McHaney, vice president & portfolio manager, BMO GAM, commented: “By using an options overlay that adds meaningful income while mitigating the opportunity cost of the strategy, the new ETFs offer the potential to achieve benchmark returns over the long term, with reduced volatility and higher current income.”