Market Vectors has announced that the Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF (MOO), the largest US-listed agribusiness exchange-traded fund (ETF), is to change its underlying benchmark. The fund currently tracks the DAXglobal Agribusiness Index, but will begin tracking the in-house Market Vectors Global Agribusiness Index in March.

Electoral nervousness in Italy has the capacity to create opportunities for investors looking to add yield to their portfolio. Possible sell-offs arising from ongoing uncertainty could provide an opportune moment to buy into high-yielding Italian government bonds. For investors looking to access this market, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) provide an effective means of achieving targeted exposure at low cost. UK and European investors have a range of ETFs at their disposal, offering exposure to various segments of the Italian government bond market.

Goldman Sachs and ALPS have teamed up to launch four exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking proprietary Goldman Sachs strategy indices. Three of the new ETFs are based on Goldman’s “Momentum Builder” framework, a systematic trading strategy that dynamically allocates across a basket of assets according to historical price momentum and volatility. The fourth ETF reflects the performance of a portfolio of US stocks anticipated to have the highest risk-adjusted returns based on volatility-adjusted consensus price targets.

MSCI, a leading provider of financial market indices, has introduced the MSCI Quality Indices, a series of smart beta equity indices designed to reflect the performance of a quality growth strategy. The alternatively-weighted indices identify quality growth companies as represented by high returns on equity, stable earnings that are uncorrelated with the broad business cycle, and strong balance sheets with low financial leverage.

The PowerShares S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio ETF (SPLV) has received this year’s William F. Sharpe Award for ETF Product of the Year. The fund, which debuted on the NYSE Arca in May 2011 and has since surpassed $3 billion in assets under management, was recognised as having had the most significant impact on the ETF market over the previous 12 months.

Hedge funds spend millions on talent and research to uncover attractive investment opportunities. You might assume, therefore, that their holdings are obscure, inconspicuous and inaccessible to everyday investors. Not so. Analysis of SEC filings reveals that exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are among hedge funds’ largest holdings. These are funds that anyone of us could buy. Some of the hedge fund industry’s biggest stars are major investors in ETFs, including well-known names such as George Soros, Ray Dalio and David Tepper.

Financial advisers expect to make increased use of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in client portfolios, according to a recent survey of registered investment advisers in the US by Invesco, the firm behind PowerShares. Advisers surveyed believe ETFs will make up 24% of portfolio allocations over the next 12 months and 33% over the next three years, representing a 10% increase over results reported in Invesco’s survey of advisers in 2011.

Reflecting the current popularity of low-volatility investment products, the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) has introduced the CBOE Low Volatility Index (LOVOL), a new benchmark index designed for investors seeking more stable returns. The CBOE has built up a strong franchise in the volatility space and, within the world of indexing, is best known for the closely-watched CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), Wall Street’s so-called ‘Fear Gauge’, which underlies a number of exchange-traded products.

BNY Mellon has linked up with OTC Markets Group to develop the OTCM ADR Index, the first-ever index dedicated to American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) traded in over-the-counter (OTC) markets. OTC Markets Group is hoping that the launch of the index will generate added interest in the more than 1,400 international ADRs traded across its platforms, and that the index could one day lead to the creation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other passive funds.

Invesco PowerShares, a leading global provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has unveiled plans to launch the PowerShares S&P 500 Downside Hedged Portfolio ETF (PHDG), benchmarked to the S&P 500 Dynamic VEQTOR Index. The actively managed fund aims to deliver positive total returns in rising or falling markets that are not directly correlated to broad market returns. It seeks to achieve this objective by dynamically allocating long-only exposure between the S&P 500, S&P VIX Short-Term Futures, and cash.