Deka Investments, a German provider of exchange-traded funds, has launched the Deka EURO iSTOXX ex Fin Dividend+ UCITS ETF which provides exposure to a portfolio of high-yielding eurozone equities from all sectors apart from financials. “The EURO STOXX Index is one of Europe’s most well-respected benchmarks for companies in the eurozone.” said Gordon Rose, Head of ETF Management and Development at Deka Investment. ”Adding ex-Financials and high dividend yield filters to this makes a very appealing index for market participants.”

The growing smart beta industry has received its latest entrant in the form of Connecticut-headquartered ETF issuer Rex Shares. The company plans to sponsor a range of smart beta-focused exchange-traded funds. “The ETF industry has seen tremendous growth, and we believe REX can provide significant value to investors who are looking for efficient portfolio and trading solutions,” said Greg King, Founder and CEO. “We like to think of ourselves as ‘ETF architects’, and are laser-focused on solving specific problems by building better tools for investors.”

Global X Funds, the New York-based provider of exchange-traded funds, has announced that the Global X GURU Index ETF (NYSE Arca: GURU) has been awarded a five-star Morningstar rating. The accolade is reflective of the fund’s impressive risk-adjusted performance in relation to fee level since its inception on 4 June 2012. During the period between the fund’s launch and 31 August 2015, the Global X GURU Index ETF had a total return of 77.5%, or 23.6% per annum. During the same period, the S&P 500 returned a total of 46.6%.

Cerulli Associates, a global analytics firm, has released research indicating that mitigating fiduciary risk in defined contribution (DC) pension plans has been a significant factor in spurring demand for low cost passive products such as exchange-traded funds in the US. “The industry’s focus on reducing fees supports continued flows into low-cost, passive products. Asset managers feel this pressure, with half identifying increased demand for passive funds as a major challenge to winning DC assets,” said Jessica Sclafani, Associate Director at Cerulli.

The Shanghai Stock Exchange and China Securities Index have announced the launch of the first China index targeting carbon-efficient companies: the SSE 180 Carbon Efficient Index. The new index enables investors to track the performance of low carbon-emitting Chinese companies and can also be used as the basis for index-linked products such as exchange-traded funds. There has been a surge in demand for environmental, social and governance (ESG) indices this year, with MSCI recently reporting a 30% rise in ETF assets tracking ESG indices to $1.8bn. Considering China’s economic development strategy, which increasingly emphasises the need for green and low-carbon growth, the index is well placed to benefit from this structural shift in the economy.

FlexShares, the exchange-traded funds arm of Northern Trust, has introduced the FlexShares Credit-Scored US Long Corporate Bond Index Fund (LKOR) offering exposure to long-maturity US corporate bonds complemented by a credit evaluation process. The strategy is designed to provide investors with the yield benefits of longer maturity (10+ years) investment grade corporate bonds, while offering a method of capital protection through credit evaluation and improved liquidity. “The FlexShares Credit-Scored US Long Corporate Bond Index Fund provides investors with a contemporary approach to optimising credit risk, with improved transparency and liquidity relative to legacy corporate bond benchmarks,” said Shundrawn Thomas, head of Northern Trust’s Funds and Managed Accounts Group.

ETF Securities, a London-based issuer of exchange-traded funds, has partnered with US-based index provider ISE ETF Ventures to launch the ETFS ISE Cyber Security GO UCITS ETF, Europe’s first locally listed ETF to offer pure-play exposure to the fast-growing cyber security sector. Listed on the London Stock Exchange, the ETF is based on a UCITS-compliant version of the index behind the hugely successful NYSE Arca-listed PureFunds ISE Cyber Security ETF, known colloquially by its exchange ticker code “HACK”, which attracted in excess of $1.1bn in assets under management in its first 10 months of trading.

Euronext, a leading European exchange operator and index provider, has launched the Euronext BeNe 40 Equal Weight Index, an alternatively weighted index tracking the 40 most traded companies in the BEL 20 and AEX indices. The index is designed to act as the basis for index-linked products such as exchange-traded funds and structured products. Paris-based asset manager Natixis, parent of smart beta ETF specialist Ossiam, has already licensed the index for the creation of structured notes.

FlexShares, the exchange-traded funds brand of Northern Trust, has introduced the FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC), a multi-factor smart beta ETF investing in US large-cap equities that exhibit discernible quality, value and momentum characteristics. The ETF is designed to outperform the broader US large-cap universe through factor tilts that have historically provided excess returns over market-cap weighted indices. “The FlexShares Quality Large Cap Index fund offers targeted exposure to value and momentum factors providing investors with an efficient multi-factor core equity portfolio holding,” said Shundrawn Thomas, head of Northern Trust’s Funds and Managed Accounts Group.

UBS Global Asset Management, a leading European exchange-traded fund issuer, has rolled out a suite of smart beta equity ETFs that allow investors to target specific factor exposures within the eurozone and the US. “The new UBS factor ETFs complement many portfolios well within the strategic asset allocation and contribute to improved diversification,” said Dag Rodewald, Head of UBS ETFs for Germany and Austria. “They can also be used tactically, as the form of the factor premiums does not remain constant over time. Our range of ETFs on various factors and for two of the world’s most important economic regions provides investors with the greatest possible flexibility.”