VanEck Australia has launched a new ETF – the VanEck Vectors FTSE International Property (Hedged) ETF (REIT AU) – on the Australian Securities Exchange. The fund is linked to an index from FTSE Russell that represents the AUD-hedged performance of real estate investment trusts (REITs) and other property companies listed in developed markets excluding Australia.
BlackRock has launched a new factor ETF – the iShares Focused Value Factor ETF (FOVL US) – which homes in on the value risk premium within the US large-cap equity universe.
Franklin Templeton Investments Canada has introduced a suite of plain-vanilla passive ETFs on Toronto Stock Exchange, providing single-country and regional exposures at low management fees. The ETFs are linked to indices from FTSE Russell that target equities in Canada, United States, Japan, and Europe (excluding the UK). “With market-moving events like trade tensions and Brexit, investors and their advisors, as well as institutional investors, are looking to precisely act upon specific country and regional market views,” said Duane Green, President and CEO, Franklin Templeton Investments Canada.
FTSE Russell has unveiled the FTSE Market Based Allocation Index Series, a new suite of multi-asset indices whereby the asset allocation mix for each index reflects the average asset allocation levels of real-world multi-asset funds as reported in Morningstar’s fund database.
Direxion has unveiled a new suite of ETFs on NYSE Arca that use a relative weight methodology. The range consists of ten long/short ETFs, separated into five investment pairs designed to capture both sides of an expressed view – for example, that value will outperform growth or vice-versa. “The beauty of these funds is they allow you to extend your viewpoint to the short side to seek additional returns,” said Dave Mazza, Managing Director and Head of Product of Direxion. “Your view is no longer mismatched with the fund – the fund is now designed to match your view.”
BlackRock has listed accumulating share classes on Deutsche Börse Xetra for two existing ETFs that provide exposure to European and Asian real estate companies. The new share classes of the iShares European Property Yield UCITS ETF and iShares Asia Property Yield UCITS ETF provide investors with the option to re-invest income payments received from the funds.
FTSE Russell has unveiled the FTSE EPRA Nareit Green Index series, a new series of real estate indices that tilt towards energy-efficient and renewables-linked properties. David Harris, Head of Sustainable Investment at FTSE Russell, commented, “As the low carbon transition accelerates, it is imperative for investors to navigate climate-related risks and opportunities…the new green real estate index series from FTSE Russell will help the market to drive an ambitious sustainability agenda and provide investors with innovative tools to assist in this transition.”
S&P Dow Jones Indices has announced that the Dutch Authority for Financial Markets (AFM) has granted the index provider’s Netherlands entity, S&P DJI BV, authorisation as a regulated Dutch benchmark administrator, under the EU benchmark regulation.
Prudential Global Investment Management (PGIM) has launched two new actively managed ETFs on NYSE Arca, targeting US small-cap equities. The PGIM QMA Strategic Alpha Small-Cap Growth ETF (PQSG US) and PGIM QMA Strategic Alpha Small-Cap Value ETF (PQSV US) utilize a quant-driven, multi-factor investment process that evaluates stocks based on value, quality, and low volatility characteristics.
The Index Industry Association has published the results of its second annual global index survey. The results suggest that there are 3.727 million indices globally, an increase of approximately 438,000 indices since the survey was first conducted in June 2017. Fixed income saw the largest growth. Rick Redding, the CEO of IIA, said, “We are seeing a strong investment in research and development by index providers into building out their fixed income capabilities to offer to clients.”