Copia Capital Management, the discretionary fund manager of Novia Group, has launched its “Select Plus” range of managed portfolios, aimed at the UK adviser market. The suite of five portfolios are constructed using a blend of ETFs, as well as funds by Dimensional Fund Advisors, and provide access to risk premia associated with certain factor exposures. According to Hoshang Daroga, quantitative investment manager at Copia, the systematic factor-based approach can help advisers diversify portfolios and potentially enhance returns.

Manulife Investments has launched two new multi-factor ETFs on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). The funds are sub-advised by Dimensional Fund Advisors and provide exposure to Canadian and US equities.

John Hancock Investments has launched the John Hancock Multifactor Small Cap ETF (JHSC US) on NYSE Arca. Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO of John Hancock, commented: “Our firm’s momentum in the ETF space has been strong, and we now have $1 billion in ETF assets under management.”

Manulife Investments and Dimensional Fund Advisors have launched a suite of proprietary multi-factor ETFs on Toronto Stock Exchange, targeting Canadian, US, and international equity exposures.

Manulife Investments, in partnership with Dimensional Fund Advisors Canada, are planning to launch a series of four multifactor ETFs on Toronto Stock Exchange tracking Canadian large cap, developed international, US large cap, and US mid cap exposures. “Dimensional has applied advanced financial science to investment solutions for more than 35 years and our approach is rooted in decades of research into the factors that drive higher expected returns,” said Eduardo Repetto, Co-CEO and Co-CIO of Dimensional.

John Hancock Investments, the Boston-based mutual fund business, has listed six smart beta exchange-traded funds designed to generate attractive relative performance through a multi-factor investment strategy. “Investors are facing a proliferation of ETF strategies today, and many investors are looking for more than just low-cost access to markets. For those reasons, it was important to us to develop an ETF product that seeks to address investor needs for performance potential, backed by an investment approach rooted in decades of academic research,” said Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO of John Hancock Investments.

Research from ETFGI, a leading London-based exchange-traded fund consultant, shows a record number of new product providers entering the US market in 2015. The trend highlights the effect that strong growth rates in recent years have had in attracting new entrants to the ETF industry. Between 1 January and 30 September, 19 new ETF/ETP providers launched products in the US, already surpassing the full year records of 15 new entrants recorded in 2009 and 2014.