US large-cap equity ETFs have recorded gains recently as the S&P 500 Index hit intraday- and closing-high records on 25 July 2017. In a week where 180 of the index’s constituents are reporting their second-quarter results, several companies have delivered better-than-expected earnings, pushing the index to 2,477.08 at the close. ETFs tracking the index, such as the $19.3bn iShares Core S&P 500 UCITS ETF (LON: CSPX), have added around 10.7% so far in 2017.

Natixis has partnered with Nasdaq to launch a new smart beta index based on the value factor using the Nasdaq 100 as the parent index. The Nasdaq 100 Target 25 Index will track 25 stocks from the Nadsaq 100 that Natixis has identified as undervalued.

ProShares has launched the ProShares Equities for Rising Rates ETF (Nasdaq: EQRR), the first US equity ETF designed to outperform traditional large-cap indices, such as the S&P 500, in a rising interest rate environment.

New research from Cerulli Associates, a global research and consulting firm, finds there is a misalignment between US ETF issuers and advisors on the use and implementation of strategic beta. Nearly two-thirds of ETF issuers claim to position strategic beta as a replacement for passive ETFs, but nearly two-thirds of advisors who use strategic beta report using such products to replace active mutual funds.

The PureFunds ISE Big Data ETF (NYSE Arca: BIGD) and the PureFunds Solactive FinTech ETF (Nasdaq: FINQ), a collaboration between PureFunds and white label ETF provider ETF Managers Group, are to close.

MSCI has released its index performance report for June 2017, breaking down the best and worst performing equity indices over this period by country, factor and sector. The index provider, which is one of the leading providers of equity indices to the exchange-traded fund industry, reports the highest index returns in June were achieved by financials, for sector exposure, while Canada and enhanced value topped the lists of country and factor exposures respectively.

UK companies distributed an all-time record £33.3 billion in dividends in the second quarter, comfortably beating the previous record of £29.1bn set in Q2 last year, according to research from Capita. The dividend windfall highlights the income-generating potential of UK stocks and is likely to enhance the appeal of UK income ETFs to yield-seeking investors.

By Jeremy Schwartz, director of research at WisdomTree.

OnAt this year’s May rebalance, we noticed how Japan is leading the international markets in terms of underlying dividend growth.

By Hitendra Varsani, executive director of factor strategies, MSCI.

We have seen substantial rotation in factor index performance in the past 12 months. Value, the best-performing equity factor index in the second half of 2016, was the worst performer in the first six months of 2017. On the other hand, quality, which had lagged last year, has performed well in 2017. But this has left quality stocks at peak valuations for the past decade, confronting investors with a question: Is it time to reduce exposure to this factor?

BlackRock has cross-listed the iShares Edge S&P 500 Minimum Volatility UCITS ETF EUR Hedged (IS31) on Deutsche Börse. The euro-hedged share class of the fund offers investors hedged exposure to a US large-cap equity portfolio that offers a similar return to the S&P 500 Index with lower overall volatility.