BNP Paribas Asset Management has unveiled the world’s first sustainable real estate ETF, the BNP Paribas Easy FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe ex UK Green UCITS ETF, providing exposure to the most environmentally friendly REITS listed in developed mainland Europe. The fund has listed on Euronext Paris (GREAL FP) and Xetra (EEPG GY) and debuts with assets of €138m. Isabelle Bourcier, Head of Quantitative & Index at BNP Paribas Asset Management, commented, “We are building on our strong track record in this asset class by offering clients a new efficient exposure to listed real estate assets with sustainable considerations.”

Goldman Sachs Asset Management has cross-listed its European domiciled ETFs onto SIX Swiss Exchange. They include two equity funds and one fixed income fund. Pascal Mischler, Head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s Client Business in Switzerland, commented, “This is a significant addition to our Swiss product offering and we are tremendously excited to enter the fast-growing European ETF market.”

By Matthew J. Bartolini, Head of SPDR Americas Research, State Street Global Advisors.

The S&P 500 Index touched a new all-time high at the end of October, its fifteenth of the year. These 15 new all-time highs appear to be a lot, but they pale in comparison to the 63 new highs the market touched in 2017 when it was gripped with reflation euphoria following the 2016 election.

ProShares has expanded its suite of dividend growth ETFs with the launch of two new funds on Cboe BZX: the ProShares S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats ETF (TDV US), which focuses on dividend growers within the US technology sector; and the ProShares Russell US Dividend Growers ETF (TMDV US), which explores the broad US stock market. Michael Sapir, co-founder and CEO of ProShare Advisors, commented, “Consistent dividend growth may be one of the best indicators of a company’s health. We are committed to offering this powerful strategy across a broad array of market caps, geographies and sectors.”

By Jason Xavier, Head of EMEA ETF Capital Markets, at Franklin Templeton.

Many investors associate ETFs with passive styles of investing. But that isn’t always the case – today, there are a range of different types of ETFs available in the marketplace beyond the traditional passive, capitalization-weighted funds that first came on the scene.

Innovator Capital Management has launched two new ETFs in the US, expanding the firm’s range of ‘defined outcome’ ETFs. The new funds are the Innovator Nasdaq-100 Power Buffer ETF (NOCT US) and the Innovator Russell 2000 Power Buffer ETF (KOCT US). They provide exposure to US large-cap and US small-cap equities, respectively, via exposure to FLEX Options based on the Nasdaq 100 and Russell 2000 indices. Bruce Bond, CEO of Innovator ETFs, commented, “Innovator now offers a full range of Defined Outcome ETFs, based on key equity benchmarks around the world, providing advisors the tools to build globally diversified equity portfolios with built-in downside buffers against loss.”

New Jersey-based asset manager WBI Investments is planning to overhaul its actively managed ETF suite with a series of four fund merges, according to a prospectus supplement dated 21 August, 2019. The changes, which are due to take effect on or about 25 October 2019, will see WBI’s large-cap equity ETFs – each corresponding to a different WBI investment strategy – assume their mid- and small-cap counterparts to create total market funds.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has filed regulatory documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for the launch of six new fixed income ETFs. The funds, which are linked to indices created in collaboration with FTSE Russell, represent a significant expansion of GSAM’s fixed income ETF capabilities, increasing the number of bond ETFs offered by the firm to eleven.

Vanguard has introduced new accumulating share classes for four equity ETFs listed in Europe. The ETFs collectively house nearly $6 billion in assets under management. The new share classes have been listed on London Stock Exchange in US dollars and pound sterling, and on Deutsche Börse Xetra in euros.

FTSE Russell has unveiled the FTSE Climate Risk-Adjusted World Government Bond Index, a new fixed income index constructed using sustainability considerations. The index provides exposure to developed market sovereign bonds, and is the first government bond index to adjust country weights by preparedness and resilience to climate change risk.