State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) has collaborated with GSO Capital Partners, the global credit business of private equity giant Blackstone, to roll out the SPDR Blackstone / GSO Senior Loan ETF (SRLN), the world’s first actively managed senior loan exchange-traded fund (ETF).

The first London-listed actively managed exchange-traded fund-of-funds, the db x-trackers SCM Multi Asset UCITS ETF (XS7M) from Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, has reached its one-year anniversary, registering solid risk-adjusted performance. The ETF, which provides exposure to a portfolio of exchange-traded products actively managed by SCM Private, a third-party asset manager co-founded by industry veteran Alan Miller, posted a return of 7.85% with annualised volatility of 7.84% in its debut year.

Stoxx, a leading index provider, has reached its 15th anniversary. Part of the Deutsche Börse and SIX, the Zurich-headquartered firm launched its first own-branded indices on 26 February, 1998, in advance of the introduction of the euro single currency the following year. In the ensuing 15 years, Stoxx has developed from being the leading euro-focused index provider to becoming a global firm known for a range of innovative strategy indices.

FTSE Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group, and TMX Group have agreed to merge their fixed income index businesses to form FTSE TMX Debt Capital Markets. The combined business will be the third largest provider of fixed income indices to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) globally, after Barclays and Markit iBoxx.

Declining bond yields have created the potential for a ‘bond bubble’ under which rising interest rates could result in significant losses for fixed income investors, according to Fitch Ratings. So how should investors handle this? One option is to get out of bonds altogether. But, considering the diversification role bonds play and the income they offer, this is not entirely sensible or indeed practicable. A more moderate response would be to focus on shorter-duration bonds, which are less sensitive to interest rate rises.

iShares, the exchange-traded funds (ETF) platform of BlackRock, has announced the launch of the iShares Global High Yield Bond ETF (HYLD), Europe’s first ETF to provide exposure to global high-yield bonds. Alex Claringbull, senior portfolio manager for BlackRock’s iShares fixed income range, said: “Many of our European clients are looking to diversify away from their local bond markets. This new iShares ETF offers global exposure in one low cost trade giving a diversification that is difficult to achieve elsewhere.”

Pyxis Capital, a US-based investment adviser, has announced the launch of the Pyxis iBoxx Senior Loan ETF (SNLN), a low-cost exchange-traded fund that provides access to bank loan investments. The fund has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The fund is the only ETF to track the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Leveraged Loan Index, a measure of the broad loan market comprised of 100 of the most liquid, tradable leveraged loans as identified by Markit’s Loans Liquidity service.

iShares has announced the launch of the iShares Barclays Capital Euro Corporate Bond Interest Rate Hedged ETF (IRCP), the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) to offer physical corporate bond exposure with mitigated interest rate risk. With government bond yields at historic lows and investors increasingly seeking out extra income by investing in corporate bonds, this product will likely appeal to those investors who want to obtain that extra yield but are concerned about the potential for rising interest rates.

Despite the European debt crisis, slowing growth in China and the coming US elections, investors who are able to look past the latest headlines and focus on the long term will be rewarded over time, according to a report from BNY Mellon Wealth Management. “Investors can’t afford to be paralysed by turbulence and uncertainty in the global markets,” said Leo Grohowski, chief investment officer of BNY Mellon Wealth Management.

FlexShares, the ETF platform of investments giant Northern Trust, has announced that assets within its ETF range have surpassed $1 billion. Launched less than one year ago in September 2011, FlexShares has become one of the fastest-growing ETF providers in the competitive US marketplace.