Exchange-traded funds listed globally enjoyed another strong month in June, gathering $34.8 billion in net new assets, according to preliminary data from industry consultants ETFGI. Year to date the figure, which includes exchange-traded products, is $126.6 billion, outpacing the previous high of $106.4 billion at this point set in 2012. Combined with positive market performance, net flows pushed assets in the global ETF/ETP industry to a new record high of $2.64 trillion invested across 5,359 ETFs/ETPs, with 10,401 listings, from 219 providers listed on 59 exchanges.

London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) has been successful in its bid to acquire the Frank Russell Company. The board of LSE believes the acquisition is a rare opportunity to acquire a high quality US business with a leading global indexing brand – Russell Indexes. The acquisition comes at a time when passive index-linked investing – particularly via exchange-traded funds – is fast taking market share from traditional active strategies. The combination of Russell Indexes with FTSE, LSE’s existing index brand, creates a global leader in index services and the number three provider of indices to ETFs globally.

Actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have seen significant growth in the number of products offered and assets under management over the past year and continue to gain popularity as an investment vehicle, according to a paper released by investment services provider SEI. This upward trend further demonstrates the attractiveness of active ETFs to both financial advisors and investors due to their lower costs, increased transparency and liquidity, and potential tax efficiency when compared to mutual funds.

Morgan Stanley has introduced its debut exchange-traded fund, the MS Scientific Beta Global Equity Factors UCITS ETF (GEF). The ETF, which was unveiled on the London Stock Exchange earlier this month, provides exposure to the Scientific Beta Developed Multi-Beta Multi-Strategy Equal Weight Index and is the first ETF to be launched between Morgan Stanley and smart beta index provider ERI Scientific Beta. Rolled out under the investment bank’s FundLogic platform, the fund aims to meet the growing demand from institutional investors to access smart beta indices and factor indices through liquid and transparent products.

JP Morgan Asset Management has made its much-anticipated debut in the fast-growing exchange-traded fund space with the launch the JP Morgan Diversified Return Global Equity ETF (JPGE) on the NYSE Arca. Defined by JP Morgan as ‘strategic beta’, a broad classification of next-generation index products also known as ‘smart beta’, the fund aims to deliver global developed market equity returns from four distinct return factors, along with reduced volatility by diversifying risks across regions and sectors. It is linked to the FTSE Developed Diversified Factor Index.

State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) has expanded its suite of smart beta ETFs with the launch of nine new products on the NYSE Arca. Linked to MSCI indices, the new funds seek to combine the performance of quality, value and low volatility strategies to provide investors the potential diversification benefits of a multi-factor approach in an objective, transparent and consistent manner. Smart beta refers to a set of approaches that deviate from the traditional cap-weighted model and instead weight indices or securities based on alternative rules-based methodologies.

Amundi, Europe’s fifth largest provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of the Amundi ETF Global Equity Multi Smart Allocation Scientific Beta UCITS ETF on Euronext Paris. The fund offers exposure to a sophisticated multi-factor smart beta strategy with the liquidity and simplicity of an ETF, and is aimed at long-term investors seeking a buy-and-hold global developed markets equities solution. It is linked to the SciBeta Developed Multi-Beta Multi-Strategy ERC Index, a strategy index developed by Scientific Beta, the commercial indexing arm of EDHEC-Risk Institute.

BlackRock has listed two new iShares ETFs on the London Stock Exchange: the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Consumer Growth UCITS ETF (CEMG) and the iShares MSCI USA Dividend IQ UCITS ETF (QDIV). Tom Fekete, Head of Product Development for iShares in EMEA, said: “We’re starting to see a shift in sentiment towards emerging markets and the growing consumption of the middle classes is creating a compelling investment opportunity. Equally UK and European investors continue to need income-generating assets, and the high-quality dividends being issued by many US companies can offer a solid source of diversified income.”

Investment giant BlackRock, the world’s largest provider of exchange-traded funds, has rolled out a European version of its popular “iShares Core” series. The series, which consists of 14 ETFs, is designed to provide European investors with low cost access to some of the core portfolio building blocks most favoured by investors across the continent. The introduction of the European series follows the launch of similar product suites in the US in 2012 and in Canada earlier this year, and comes on the back of impressive growth and evolution in the region’s ETF market.

ERI Scientific Beta, the smart beta indexing initiative spun out off EDHEC-Risk Institute, has announced the launch of the SciBeta Multi-Beta Multi-Strategy Indices. The indices address two limitations of market capitalisation-weighted indices, namely ill-suited exposures to systematic risk factors and excessive concentration in a small number of stocks. Noël Amenc, CEO of ERI Scientific Beta, said: “Multi-beta multi-strategy indices allow equity investors to expand their opportunity set beyond the standard equity premium. These indices of indices are effective entry points for asset owners who wish to dispose of a robust and proven asset allocation solution.”