Aequitas NEO, a Canada-based start-up stock exchange, has announced the first exchange-traded fund to list on its platform will be from the PowerShares division of Invesco Canada. The PowerShares Dorsey Wright Associates (PDWA) Global Momentum Index ETF is due to begin trading in early March subject to the approval of regulatory authorities. In a bid to attract corporate clients Aequitas NEO offers competitive listing fees that currently undercut those offered by the Toronto Stock Exchange. The firm also touts a variety of benefits including a robust system ensuring reliable liquidity and free real-time market data to enhance visibility.

Broadridge Financial Solutions, a London-based provider of financial market analysis, has released its quarterly ‘fund distribution intelligence’ report, which found that the exchange traded fund industry reached a peak of $2.2tn last year. The report looks at the flows and asset performance of long-term mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. The funds make up more than $9tn of assets and are from a variety of providers. The research showed that the mutual fund industry experienced a decrease of $161bn in its global asset base during 2015 to $7.3tn, while assets in ETFs increased.

Lyxor, Europe’s third largest provider of exchange-traded funds, has slashed the fees on a number of important UK and US bond ETFs, cutting total expense ratios (TERs) by as much as two-thirds in some cases. Through the firm’s ETFs, investors can now obtain exposure to gilts and Treasuries from as little as 0.07% and UK and US corporate bonds from 0.09%. Chanchal Samadder, Head of UK and Ireland ETF Sales for Lyxor, said: “We wanted to create a range of core fixed income exposures that are safe, liquid and low cost. These are staple, safe haven exposures in most portfolios and we wanted to give investors a better deal”.

ETF Securities, a leading provider of commodity-based exchange-traded products, believes that the prolonged downturn in commodity markets could finally be drawing to a close. Sentiment is near an all-time low, yet there is compelling evidence to suggest prices will rise in 2016, delegates at the firm’s annual investor conference were told. James Butterfill, ETF Securities’ Head of Research & Investment Strategy, said: “Looking at net futures positioning, it’s clear we’re very close to the most bearish position in history. To us this denotes we’re perhaps at peak bearishness. This may not be the opportunity of a lifetime, but it could be the opportunity of an economic cycle at the very least.”

Tradeweb Markets, a leading global provider of over-the-counter (OTC) marketplaces, has launched a marketplace for US-listed exchange-traded funds. Enrico Bruni, Managing Director and Head of Europe and Asia Business at Tradeweb Markets, commented: “We have introduced a very efficient way of trading US-listed ETFs electronically, leveraging our technology and network to support a competitive and liquid over-the-counter marketplace. Building on the success and growth of our European ETF platform, we’re pleased to offer our institutional clients a new level of transparency, flexibility and efficiency in the way they trade US-listed ETFs.”

Stoxx, a leading European index provider, has announced the launch the Stoxx Low Carbon Indices, a suite of indices enabling market participants to limit the exposure of their portfolios to carbon risk while participating in the low-carbon economic growth. Hartmut Graf, chief executive officer, Stoxx, commented: “Our Stoxx Low Carbon index family enables investors to easily incorporate sustainability factors into their portfolio which focus on carbon emissions. The Stoxx Global Climate Change Leaders Index in particular provides an innovative solution to track companies that are leaders in mitigating climate change and are publicly committed to reducing carbon emissions.”

Deutsche Asset Management (Deutsche AM) has announced that its db x-trackers exchange-traded fund platform captured $27.8bn in net inflows during 2015, making it the third highest recipient of net inflows of any ETF provider globally and the fifth largest by assets under management. Simon Klein, Head of Distribution for Passive Investments, EMEA & Asia, at Deutsche AM, said: “Transitioning into one of the leading providers of physical replication ETFs, significant expansion of our range of fixed income ETFs as well as an enlarged distribution team have all been cornerstones of our success. We believe we are well-positioned to move to be among the top four largest ETF providers in the world.”

Beaumont Capital Management (BCM), a Massachusetts-based wealth manager specialising in quantitative analysis, has launched a range of new products aimed at retirement savers. The Collective Investments Funds (CIFs) are based on portfolios of low-cost exchange-traded funds and provide risk-managed investment solutions for customers from any generation. The suite of CIFs focus on target maturity dates from 2020 through to 2060 in 10-year intervals. The funds are actively managed, which the firm states allows enhanced growth during bull markets but also better navigation during future market volatility.

Van Eck Global, the asset manager behind the Market Vectors range of exchange-traded funds, has launched a new fund investing in firms engaged in the manufacture of generic drugs. The Market Vectors Generic Drugs ETF (Nasdaq: GNRX) offers global exposure to a realm of the health care sector that may exhibit lower volatility than traditional pharmaceuticals exposure. The fund’s risk profile benefits from somewhat lower research and development costs by its constituents as well as the stability of operating in markets where levels of demand for the seller’s products have been better established.

Demand for ETFs among Continental European institutions is expected to grow by nearly a fifth in 2016, according to a study from Greenwich Associates. The next 12 months will likely bring increases in both adoption rates and the overall amount invested in ETFs. Commenting on the findings, Andrew McCollum, Managing Director at Greenwich Associates, said: “[The] findings suggest the flexibility and adaptability that allow institutions to find new ways to apply ETFs in their portfolios will play a central role in the continued proliferation of the funds in the institutional channel”.