Soft commodity exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded commodities have received a boost in recent months thanks to sharp price increases in the futures contracts for sugar and coffee. Droughts, heavy rain and frost in Brazil have driven up the prices of both food stuffs by more than 20% in the past few months, according to a note from Rabobank. The $47m ETFS Coffee ETC (LSE: COFF), is up more than 13% year to date and just over 2% in the last three months, while the $26m ETFS Sugar ETC (LSE: SUGA) is up 44.6% and just over 10% over the same periods.

US-based sustainable investment manager Etho Capital and Future Super, Australia’s first fossil fuel-free superannuation fund, are to launch an index – the Global Sustainability Leadership Index – tracking the performance of 100 of the world’s most sustainable and efficient companies that are leaders in their sectors. The index is due to underlie an exchange-traded fund which will be launched at the end of October 2016. Future Super investors have agreed to commit AU$35m to the ETF.

Thomson Reuters has launched the Diversity & Inclusion Index, measuring the performance of 100 global companies with diverse and inclusive workplaces. The index may form the basis for future investment products such as ETFs. Debra Walton, Chief Product & Content Officer at Thomson Reuters, commented: “Our research shows that companies that make investments and focus on ESG matters can have a stronger stock performance and better long-term profitability.”

Yahoo has announced the hacking of some 500m names, email addresses and passwords – the largest corporate data breach in history. The news not only highlights the growing scale of security problems but also the potential for growth in the cybersecurity industry, predicted to grow to $202.3bn by 2021 according to research firm MarketsandMarkets. Investors may gain access to the cybersecurity industry through ETFs offered by PureFunds, First Trust and ETF Securities.

Morningstar has released their third annual report into trends within the global strategic beta ETP landscape. The paper found that the strategies have grown in popularity on a global, regional and country basis, both in terms of number of ETPs available as well as assets dedicated to the space. As of 30 June 2016, the global strategic beta ETP landscape encompassed 1,123 ETPs with $550.5bn in assets under management.

Canadian ETF provider First Asset has introduced the First Asset Canadian Buyback Index ETF (FBE) and the First Asset US Buyback Index ETF (FBU), providing access to portfolios of Canadian and US equities with active share repurchase programs. Companies which engage in share buybacks may display several beneficial characteristics compared to other firms such as stronger cash flows, lower share price volatility and greater tax efficiency.

Index provider S&P Dow Jones Indices and sustainability investment specialist RobecoSAM have announced the results of the annual Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) review. The DJSI family consists of indices targeting environmental, social and governance (ESG)-compliant exposures globally and regionally. The indices are designed for use as performance benchmarks for ESG-conscious investors and as underlying references for index-linked investment products such as exchange-traded funds.

Global X Funds has unveiled a trio of thematic ETFs on Nasdaq focused on three important technological mega-trends: FinTech, Robotics & Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things. Jay Jacobs, Director of Research at Global X, said: “[These themes] are among the most significant emerging technological trends in the world as they are set to disrupt a broad range of industries and change how we interact with ordinary things like banks, cars, and even refrigerators. Our aim with launching these funds is to provide investors with tools to efficiently gain exposure to the companies that are well-positioned to grow from these technological revolutions.”

JP Morgan Asset Management has introduced its first alternative and actively managed exchange-traded fund. The JP Morgan Diversified Alternatives ETF (NYSE: JPHF) provides investors with diversified exposure to hedge fund strategies including equity long/short, event driven and global macro strategies. Robert Deutsch, Head of ETFs for JP Morgan Asset Management, commented: “In the past, alternative investments have been an exclusive option only accessible by a small portion of investors; however, JPHF now makes these investment vehicles available to a wider array of investors.”

French banking giant BNP Paribas has launched 16 new equity-based exchange-traded funds on Deutsche Börse. Five of the new BNP Paribas Easy ETFs track either US or European stocks with significant exposure to one of four factors: low volatility, quality, momentum or value; ten track regional indices from MSCI which screen out companies involved in the production of controversial weapons; and one tracks an ESG-screened portfolio of US companies. The funds have been made available on both the Xetra and Frankfurt exchanges with total expense ratios ranging between 0.26% and 0.35%.