Gold-backed ETFs (including ETPs) lost 5.1 tonnes of gold during February as investors redeemed assets on the back of a decreasing gold price and increasing volatility, according to data from the World Gold Council.

The results of elections in Italy could signal a return to uncertainty for the European Union as Italian voters favoured two anti-establishment parties, the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Northern League, in a outcome that failed to provide any party with the majority needed to govern. ETF issuers ETF Securities, WisdomTree and SPDR ETFs, offered their take on the election results.

ETF Securities has cross-listed its three new ‘disruptive technology’ global equity ETFs onto Borsa Italiana.

A new white-label UCITS ETF platform, called marketβeta, is set to be established in Europe, providing third-party asset managers with the infrastructure to build and launch ETFs into Europe without having to establish their own full-service business. The platform is being launched by Graeme Dewar, previously head of strategy implementation at LGIM; and Joy Yang, former head of equities at Vanguard.

London-based commodity ETP specialist ETF Securities has reported that weekly inflows into its agricultural ETPs reached their largest levels ever last week, totalling $54.7 million. The firm notes that the majority of agricultural commodities are trading higher in 2018 owing to severe weather conditions affecting forecasts of supply.

ETF Securities’ range of industrial metals ETPs saw net outflows of $99 million for the week starting 5 February 2017 amid the global equity market sell-off, according to the firm’s weekly flows analysis. Nitesh Shah, director of research at ETF Securities, said that industrial metals are “arguably the most cyclically exposed of all commodities”, noting these were the highest outflows in ten weeks for this asset class.

ETF Securities’ three recently launched ‘disruptive technology’ ETFs have been cross-listed onto Deutsche Börse’s Xetra platform. The three thematic equity ETFs provide investors with exposure to the performance of niche segments of the e-commerce, pharma and energy-storage-technology sectors.

“Bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies more generally, are not a substitute for gold”, concludes the World Gold Council in its latest investment update. While the assertion might not come as a huge surprise, the organisation makes some valid points.

New York-based ETF startup GraniteShares has unveiled the lowest cost physical platinum ETF available in the US – the GraniteShares Platinum Trust (PLTM US) – with an annual management fee of 50 basis points.

ETF Securities has expanded its thematic offering with the launch of three global equity ETFs providing targeted exposure to disruptive technologies in the healthcare, energy storage and commerce industries. The ETFs have been listed on the London Stock Exchange and are part of the issuer’s ‘Future Present’ line-up. Howie Li, CEO of Canvas, ETF Securities’ UCITS platform, commented, “These new additions to our technology range address exciting facets of changes in healthcare, energy storage and commerce.”