Asia Index Private, a joint venture between S&P Dow Jones Indices and the Bombay Stock Exchange, has launched the S&P BSE Liquid Rate Index, an index designed to measure the returns from a daily rolling deposit at the collateralized borrowing and lending obligation (CBLO) rate in India. Alka Banerjee, CEO, Asia Index Private, said: “With the launch of S&P BSE Liquid Rate Index we are expanding our fixed income indices offering in the most actively traded instrument in the money market. The CBLO rate is considered one of most liquid rates in India, in the overnight segment.”

Stocks have outperformed commodities for the first time since April following commodities biggest three-month gain, according to a note from S&P Dow Jones Indices. The commodity rally ended in July with commodity indices producing some of the worst performances since records began in the 1970’s as a stronger dollar and declining probability of a rate hike this year put pressure on the asset class. The Dow Jones Commodity Index (DJCI) lost 6% in July, while the S&P GSCI lost 9.6% in total return. The latter saw its third worst July on record, dragged down by 16 out of the 24 commodities seeing their value drop in July, which is the most since November 2015 when 22 were down.

With bond yields at record lows – the 10-year gilt yield is down to 0.8% today from 3% in January 2014 – investors have been pushed towards alternative strategies for income, including European-domiciled emerging market dividend exchange-traded funds. The sector has yielded between 4% and 6% annually compared to 2% from developed market counterparts over the past three years, according to a new study from Morningstar. Iff investors want to include emerging market equities, they might be more tempted to place their capital specifically with emerging market dividend funds, where the relatively higher yield helps to compensate for the falling return of the underlying stocks.

Assets in European listed exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products hit a record high of $522bn in the first three months of the year, according to data from consultancy ETFGI. The figure helped boost global ETF/ETP assets return above the $3tn mark for only the second time, having first done so at the end of May last year. Net new assets in March hit $45.3bn globally marking the 26th consecutive month of net inflows. In Europe, the largest portion of investor money [$6.18bn] went into fixed income and commodities [$1.10bn]. However, these figures were offset by outflows from equity ETFs/ETPs of $2.29bn.

Nomura has launched four exchange-traded funds on the SIX Swiss Exchange, becoming the first Asian issuer to list on the exchange. The ETFs provide currency-hedged exposure to two of Japan’s foremost equity indices, the smart beta JPX-Nikkei 400 and the widely-followed Nikkei 225. Offered in EUR-hedged and USD-hedged formats, the ETFs allow investors to gain exposure to Japanese equities, while protecting against adverse yen depreciate. Nomura’s Jean-Philippe Royer said: “Nomura is the biggest Japanese equities ETF manager, but until today very few investors in Switzerland could invest in our ETFs. Through the listing on SIX Swiss Exchange, we can now provide the broader Swiss investor community with local access to Nomura’s best-in-class products.”

S&P Dow Jones, a leading global index provider, has announced the launch of the S&P Long-Term Value Creation (LTVC) Global Index, an index designed to track the performance of companies meeting high standards of financial quality and value creation with a focus on long-term objectives. “Over the past few years, there has been an intensifying investor demand for a benchmark that captures companies that take a long-term approach in making business decisions,” said Alex Matturri, CEO of S&P Dow Jones Indices. “The launch of the S&P LTVC Global Index is a manifestation of the long-termism concept with an independent and transparent approach.”

Index provider S&P Dow Jones Indices has teamed up with the Japan Exchange Group and the Tokyo Stock Exchange to launch the S&P/JPX Dividend Aristocrats Index. The index is designed to measure the performance of the highest dividend yielding companies within the Tokyo Stock Price Index, or TOPIX, universe that have followed a policy of increasing or maintaining stable dividends for at least 10 straight years. The index expands the hugely popular “Dividend Aristocrats” range and becomes the third index in the new S&P/JPX Smart Beta Index Series.

S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) has launched the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Diversified High Beta High Dividend Index which is designed to measure the performance of high yielding stocks with high historical betas constructed from an eligible universe of companies which operate responsibly with regards to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. “We are excited to launch a smart beta ESG index that will allow investors to measure performance of sustainable firms that also have desirable dividend income and tradability characteristics,” said Tianyin Cheng, Associate Director, Strategy Indices, S&P Dow Jones Indices.

State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), the asset manager behind the SPDR brand of exchange-traded funds, has expanded their range of sector-specific SPDR ETFs by introducing two new funds that track firms operating in the US financial services and the real estate space respectively. The inclusion of the Financial Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLFS) and the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLRE) bring the number of ETFs within the suite to eleven, broadening the options for investors making sector allocations within the S&P 500.

London-based bank Barclays and Illinois-based investment firm Elkhorn Capital Group have announced a strategic partnership which will allow them to collaborate on ETF products based on Barclays’ strategies. The partnership combines Barclays’ expertise in developing investment concepts with Elkhorn’s client insight and distribution network. “This allows us to offer our clients an expanded range of investment opportunities. We’re enhancing efficiency in product delivery, and matching that with innovation in investment content,” said Fabien Labouret, Global Head of EFS Investment Strategies at Barclays.