FTSE has announced the expansion of its FTSE Infrastructure Index Series with the launch of two capped core infrastructure indices. The new indices are the FTSE Global Core Infrastructure Capped 50/50 Index, tracking the performance of listed infrastructures securities in both developed and emerging markets globally, and the FTSE Developed Core Infrastructure Capped 50/50 Index, tracking the performance of developed market opportunities. The indices have been designed for use as underlyings for index-linked investment products such as exchange-traded funds and as effective benchmarks for actively managed listed infrastructure securities funds.

MSCI, a leading index provider to the ETF industry worldwide, has reported a surge in demand from ETF providers for its “smart beta” factor indices, with almost half of new MSCI index-based ETFs launched in 2014 linked to MSCI factor indices. Overall, 95 ETFs based on MSCI indices were launched in 2014, with 42 (45 percent) of these linked to factor indices, compared to six in 2013. Twelve new ETFs tracking MSCI multi-factor indices, which combine more than one factor, were launched in 2014. Baer Pettit, Managing Director and Global Head of MSCI’s Index Business, said: “2014 was a year of strong growth in the number of ETFs based on our indexes, in particular our factor indexes.”

PwC has published a report revealing that more than three out of four asset management industry executives expect ETF assets to at least double, to reach $5 trillion or more, by 2020. According to the report, asset flows in the developed markets of the US and Europe will continue to dominate the ETF landscape. However, the highest rates of growth will be found in the less mature markets. Institutional investors are widely expected to be the primary growth driver with insurance companies, pension plans and hedge funds in particular, projected to be significant sources of demand for ETFs.

S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced an aggressive plan to exponentially grow its fixed income index business in anticipation of growing global demand for bond indices for use in both passive investment strategies, such as ETFs, and as benchmarks for actively managed portfolios. In total, the new S&P DJI fixed income indices will cover over 20,000 individual securities with the ultimate goal of launching thousands of maturity and sector based indices. S&P DJI already publishes over 500 fixed income indices globally covering municipals, preferreds, corporates, CDS, and senior loans amongst others, and is the third largest provider of fixed income indices for the global ETF market.

ETF Securities, one of the world’s leading providers of commodities exchange-traded products (ETPs), has announced record inflows of $254.5 million into its energy products for the first full week of January 2015 (from Friday 2 January to Friday 9 January 2015). Its energy products include crude oil, natural gas, heating oil, gasoline and carbon ETPs in delta-one, leveraged and currency-hedged formats. Highlights included $71.4 million into ETFS Brent Crude, $78.9 million into ETFS WTI Crude Oil and $14.2 million into ETFS Daily Leveraged WTI Crude Oil.

The global exchange-traded fund industry reached an all-time high of $2.76 trillion in assets at the end of November 2014 and is on track to break through the $3 trillion milestone in the first half of 2015, according to research from ETFGI, a leading London-based ETF consultancy. Year-to-date net inflows of $275.3 billion are a new record, beating prior full-year net inflows. Inflows were boosted by a particularly strong November, with a whopping $42.0 billion in net new asset flows, the fourth largest month on record.

Source, a leading provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of the Source Nasdaq Biotech UCITS ETF (SBIO), the first Europe-listed ETF to track the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. “Source is launching this product in direct response to investor demand,” said Source CEO Ted Hood. “While there are some large, actively managed biotech funds available to Europe investors, passive options are limited. There are several ETFs, including our own, tracking the US Health Care sector, but we see many investors looking for more focused biotech exposure.”

Invesco PowerShares, a leading global provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of the PowerShares Global Buyback Achievers UCITS ETF (BUYB). The fund, which has been listed on the London Stock Exchange, with European cross-listings planned for coming weeks, invests in companies that have bought back at least 5% of their own shares in the previous twelve months or most recent fiscal year. Bryon Lake, Head of Invesco PowerShares, EMEA, commented: “This new product offers an innovative yet simple factor-based way to invest in global equities.”

ETF Securities, a leading provider of exchange-traded funds, has partnered with Robo-Stox, a creator of indices tracking the robotics and automation industry, to launch the Robo-Stox Robotics and Automation GO UCITS ETF (ROBO) on the London Stock Exchange. Howie Li, Co-Head of Canvas, ETF Securities, said: “This investment solution will provide investors with a global portfolio of listed robotics and automation companies that capture activity from both emerging and established organisations that are highly diversified across countries, sectors and market capitalisation.”

State Street Global Advisors has announced the launch of the SPDR Thomson Reuters Global Convertible Bond UCITS ETF (ZPRC), the world’s first passive global convertible bond ETF. The fund, which has been listed on the Deutsche Börse, aims to offer investors cost-efficient and transparent exposure to the unique risk-return profile of this asset class. Alexis Marinof, head of SPDR EMEA, said: “Convertible bonds have exhibited historically lower correlations to traditional equity and bond markets, and typically will have lower sensitivity to interest rate changes than normal bonds which makes them a great portfolio diversifier.”