Frankfurt-based index provider Solactive has partnered with Börse München to launch a new equity index providing exposure to the mid-cap segment of the German stock market. The m:access Index covers ‘Mittelstand’ companies – those with market capitalizations between €5 million and €100m – that are listed on the m:access segment of Börse München. Robert Ertl, CEO of Bayerische Börse, the operator of Börse München, commented, “With this index, Börse München is underscoring its claim to stand as the German stock exchange for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).”

Financial data giant Bloomberg has been recognized by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as an administrator under the European Union’s Benchmarks Regulation. Steve Berkley, Global Head of Bloomberg Indices and CEO of Bloomberg Index Services Limited, commented, “Today’s news underscores our commitment to upholding the industry’s regulatory standards to ensure the accuracy and integrity of benchmarks.”

Paris-headquartered issuer Amundi has unveiled two new equity ETFs – the Amundi Smart City UCITS ETF and Amundi Smart Factory UCITS ETF – providing exposure to companies aligned with the investment themes of ‘smart cities’ and ‘smart factories’. The ETFs are linked to Solactive indices, invest in developed and emerging market stocks, and have listed on Euronext’s markets in Paris and Amsterdam. Fannie Wurtz, Head of Amundi ETF, Indexing, & Smart Beta, said the ETFs empower investors to capitalize on “themes that are shaping our future.”

Howard Capital Management (HCM) has become the latest investment advisor to issue ETFs with the launch of two funds providing downside risk management relative to the US large-cap equity universe. The funds, which have listed on NYSE Arca, are the HCM Defender 100 Index ETF (QQH US) and HCM Defender 500 Index ETF (LGH US).

Solactive has launched a new European equity index that provides exposure to dividend-paying stocks with low market risk and strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) characteristics. The Solactive ARC ESG Big Data Europe Index is available for licensing and is suitable to underlie new investment products such as ETFs.

Lyxor has expanded its green bond offering with the launch of the Lyxor Green Bond ESG Screened (DR) UCITS ETF (XCO2 GY). The fund is Lyxor’s second ETF to focus on the investment-grade green bond market. Listed on Xetra, the fund differs from its debut green bond ETF, the €132m Lyxor Green Bond UCITS ETF (CLIM LN), by incorporating an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) screen to exclude issuers in violation of the principles of the UN’s Global Compact or operating in controversial areas such as tobacco, alcohol, weapons, nuclear energy, and fossil fuels.

Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has made its exchange-traded fund debut in Europe with the launch of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity UCITS ETF (GSLC LN) on London Stock Exchange. The fund is linked to the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta US Large Cap Equity Index, a proprietary index designed to provide higher returns at similar or lower levels of risk relative to traditional market-cap weighted indices. It sets out to achieve this by systematically exploiting four well-established equity factors – value, momentum, quality and low volatility. The fund is a carbon copy of an NYSE-listed ETF launched by GSAM in the US that has attracted over $6.5bn in assets.

Amundi has expanded its suite of ultra-low-cost ETFs – branded ‘Prime’ – with the launch of a new fund tracking the US dollar-denominated investment-grade corporate bond market. The Amundi Prime US Corporates UCITS ETF DR (PR1P GR) has listed on Xetra in euros and comes with annual fee of just 0.05%. Fannie Wurtz, Head of Amundi ETF, Indexing, and Smart Beta, commented, “Attracting more than €500m of assets under management already, the Amundi Prime range has shown that it is the right solution for investors looking for simple and cost-efficient portfolio building blocks. Adding US corporates to the range demonstrates our ongoing commitment to clients.”

Lyxor has rolled out three new ETFs that enable investors to take a view on expected changes to the shape of key benchmark yield curves. The new ETFs stand to gain from a flattening of the US Treasury yield curve, a steepening of the German Bund yield curve, and a flattening of the German Bund yield curve. They join an existing ETF that profits from a steepening of the US Treasury yield curve. Philippe Baché, Head of Fixed Income ETFs at Lyxor, commented, “Views on the direction of interest rates differ among investors, and our innovative ETFs allow them to express their beliefs on the future shape of benchmark yield curves.”

WisdomTree has announced the launch of the WisdomTree Cloud Computing UCITS ETF, providing exposure to fast-growing cloud computing companies. The fund has listed on London Stock Exchange and comes with an expense ratio of 0.40%. It is linked to the BVP Nasdaq Emerging Cloud Index, a collaboration between exchange operator Nasdaq and technology venture capital firm Bessemer Venture Partners. Jeremy Schwartz, Global Head of Research at WisdomTree, commented, “The WisdomTree Cloud Computing UCITS ETF targets cloud computing businesses, which we believe are best positioned for high levels of recurring revenue growth and have the potential to scale at a faster rate than traditional tech companies.”