Smart beta ETF provider Ossiam has announced it is implementing changes to the Ossiam US Minimum Variance ETF to include ESG screening and switch from synthetic to physical replication. As a result, the name of the ETF will change to Ossiam US Minimum Variance ESG ETF (LON: USMV).

Barclays has unveiled the Shiller Barclays CAPE Single Stock Indices, adding to the series of equity sector indices designed jointly by Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Robert Shiller and Barclays.

Ossiam has expanded its suite of smart beta ETFs with the launch of the Ossiam Global Multi-Asset Risk-Control ETF. The ETF is a fund-of-funds which invests in other ETFs to gain global exposure to a variety of asset classes while controlling the maximum drawdown of the total portfolio to 8%. Bruno Poulin, CEO of Ossiam, commented: “Risk control serves to control losses in the event of major market corrections. The fund is aimed at investors who seek relatively low and clearly limited risk.”

Ossiam has launched the Ossiam iStoxx Europe Minimum Variance High Dividend UCITS ETF (Xetra: OSXN), offering investors access to European equities with high dividend yields, while minimising portfolio volatility through a smart beta optimization process. The fund may suit investors searching for higher income in a world of lower-for-longer yields, while simultaneously seeking to protect wealth against increased market volatility caused by major geopolitical events such as Trump’s election and Brexit.

European exchange-traded fund provider Source has launched the Source RBIS Equal Risk Equity US UCITS ETF (LON: RUQR) in partnership with Risk Based Investment Solutions (RBIS), a subsidiary of Rothschild & Co. The ETF follows an equal risk contribution concept and aims to provide large-cap US equity exposure with lower volatility than traditional market cap-weighted strategies. Chris Mellor, Executive Director, Equities Product Management, at Source, commented: “We believe that this form of risk control offers a significant step forward beyond volatility targeting and minimum variance strategies.”

First Trust has launched two new actively managed ETF on the NYSE that seek to capture upside price movements in rising markets and reduce downside risk when markets decline. Sub-advised by Horizon Investments, the funds use a proprietary quantitative rules-based investment process to manage volatility. Robbie Cannon, President & CEO at Horizon, said: “In this low interest rate environment, we are seeing all kinds of investors participating more and more in equity markets, even those who traditionally looked to fixed income markets…And while they want equity exposure, they naturally are looking for lower risk and lower volatility products.”

Specialist smart beta exchange-traded fund provider Ossiam has signed the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), representing a global network of asset managers, owners and service providers working together to put ethical investment into practice. Bruno Poulin, CEO of Ossiam, commented in a statement: “Since establishment Ossiam has maintained a responsible ethos in the investment strategies and funds we develop, as well as in our interaction with clients and partners and our views on the future of smart beta and exchange-traded funds. We are therefore very pleased to formalise our alignment with these values by joining Principles for Responsible Investment.”

Ossiam, a leading provider of smart beta exchange-traded funds, has launched the Ossiam Japan Minimum Variance UCITS ETF on the Xetra Exchange. The fund provides euro-hedged exposure to the performance of the most liquid Japanese stocks in the S&P/TOPIX 150 Index, while minimising portfolio volatility through an optimisation process.

Euronext, a leading European exchange operator and index provider, has launched the Euronext BeNe 40 Equal Weight Index, an alternatively weighted index tracking the 40 most traded companies in the BEL 20 and AEX indices. The index is designed to act as the basis for index-linked products such as exchange-traded funds and structured products. Paris-based asset manager Natixis, parent of smart beta ETF specialist Ossiam, has already licensed the index for the creation of structured notes.

London-based bank Barclays and Illinois-based investment firm Elkhorn Capital Group have announced a strategic partnership which will allow them to collaborate on ETF products based on Barclays’ strategies. The partnership combines Barclays’ expertise in developing investment concepts with Elkhorn’s client insight and distribution network. “This allows us to offer our clients an expanded range of investment opportunities. We’re enhancing efficiency in product delivery, and matching that with innovation in investment content,” said Fabien Labouret, Global Head of EFS Investment Strategies at Barclays.