Fidelity Investments has filed registration documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the listing of two new multifactor equity ETFs on Cboe BZX. The Fidelity Targeted Emerging Markets Factor ETF and Fidelity Targeted International Factor ETF will invest in emerging market and developed market (ex-US) stocks, respectively, and will select their constituents using a multifactor process that favours stocks with strong value, quality, momentum, and low-volatility characteristics.

By Aneeka Gupta, Associate Director of Research at WisdomTree.

Over the next decade, we expect a rapid change on the framework in which we live, moved by trends such as technological innovation and climate change. In this blog we review how the marriage of battery technology and the increasing need of tackling climate change builds the case for electric vehicle adoption.

Zurich-based index provider Stoxx has launched the Stoxx Europe 600 ESG-X Index, a sustainability-focused version of the Stoxx Europe 600, one of its core European equity benchmarks. Inderpal Gujral, Head of Product at Stoxx, said, “The ESG-X version of Stoxx Europe 600 uses free-float market cap weighting similar to Europe’s most traded benchmark index. It is easy to implement as a benchmark for asset owners and well-suited to serve as an underlying for ETFs, derivatives or structured products.”

Defiance ETFs has filed documents with the US SEC for the listing of seven ETFs targeting different sectors within the disruptive technology theme. In a first for the ETF industry, five of the new funds will be “junior” disruptive technology ETFs, providing investors with pure-play exposure to small caps operating within the industries of robotics, cybersecurity, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. “We founded Defiance with the vision that more investors should be able to tap into the growth driving the truly disruptive technologies that will permanently change the way we live,” said Matthew Bielski, CEO of Defiance ETFs.

UBS has expanded its range of socially responsible ETFs with the launch of the UBS Sustainable Development Bank Bonds UCITS ETF on SIX Swiss Exchange, London Stock Exchange and Xetra. Andrew Walsh, Head of Passive & ETF Specialist Sales UK, UBS, said, “By investing in these bonds, one can provide relatively direct support to a series of projects that generate positive effects for society in general.”

Research from SSGA and Lyxor suggests the current economic backdrop and recent market turbulence means value ETFs are potentially primed to spring back.

BlackRock has cross-listed its iShares Digital Security UCITS ETF on SIX Swiss Exchange. The fund tracks the Stoxx Global Digital Security Index which consists of developed and emerging markets companies that stand to benefit from future growth in the adoption of digital security solutions.

New York-based KraneShares has made its debut in Europe with the launch of the KraneShares CSI China Internet UCITS ETF (KWEB LN) on the London Stock Exchange, providing exposure to Chinese internet and internet-related companies. KraneShares will be hoping the fund emulates the success of its NYSE-listed counterpart which has pulled in assets in excess of $1.6bn.”We are excited to bring this successful ETF to the London Stock Exchange,” said Jonathan Krane CEO of KraneShares.

By Stephen Laipply, Head of US iShares Fixed Income Strategy at BlackRock.

A trio of 2018 milestones show that the iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF (LQD US) is now an indispensable investment tool.

Switzerland-based ETP issuer Amun has launched the Amun Crypto Basket Index ETP (HODL SW) on SIX Swiss Exchange. The ETP becomes the world’s first multi-asset crypto index-linked product listed on a major exchange.