The ProShares Merger ETF (MRGR), an innovative new fund from US-based alternative exchange-traded fund (ETF) specialist ProShares, is scheduled to list on the BATS Exchange on 13 December. The fund is designed to track the performance of the recently launched S&P Merger Arbitrage Index, a risk arbitrage strategy that exploits commonly observed price changes associated with a global selection of publicly announced mergers, acquisitions or other corporate reorganisations.

IndexIQ, a US-based provider of niche exchange-traded funds (ETFs), is to shut the IQ Emerging Markets Mid Cap ETF (EMER). With less than $2m in assets, it appears the fund is just too small to justify its existence. By targeting the mid-capitalisation sector of publicly traded companies in emerging markets, the fund provided access to a niche market segment that is otherwise hard to reach. Fortunately for investors, there are alternatives to consider once the fund closes.

The recent rally in agricultural commodity prices serves as a stark reminder of the long-term global food supply/demand imbalance. For investors, however, the greatest opportunities could lie within the agribusiness sector, rather than making direct investments in agricultural commodity markets. Investors looking to access the sector have a wealth of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to consider, with iShares, Invesco PowerShares, ETF Securities, Market Vectors, EasyETF and IndexIQ all offering compelling products.

Market Vectors Index Solutions, a boutique provider of financial market indices, has introduced the Market Vectors Hedge Fund Beta Indices, a set of four regional and two global indices offering exposure to hedge fund beta. Each index seeks to capture the systematic returns, known in the industry as ‘beta’, of hedge funds with similar investment styles that invest in the same asset classes and same geographic markets.

Boost ETP announced its launch on Wednesday, becoming the latest entrant in the fast-growing European exchange-traded products (ETP) market. The firm’s ambition to carve out a niche as a purveyor of more exotic products looks set to further energize the European market. The firm’s founders, Hector McNeil and Nik Bienkowski, have been active in the European ETP market since its genesis and were both formerly Managing Partners at ETF Securities, where they helped grow assets from just $50 million to $22 billion by the time they left.

IndexIQ, a leading US-based provider of alternative index-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has announced the launch of the IQ Hedge Market Neutral Tracker ETF (QMN). The latest addition to the firm’s hedge fund replication ETF family, QMN tracks the IQ Hedge Market Neutral Index, a proprietary index designed to offer investors liquid and transparent market neutral hedge fund exposure, by investing in a range of ETFs.