By Stephen Cohen, head of iShares EMEA at BlackRock.

Investors use ETF trading volumes in different ways: for asset allocators it is a useful, real-time window into where money is flowing through the trading day. For others, visible flows provide comfort in knowing that there is sufficient liquidity within the products they intend to invest in.

Ashburton Investments, the asset management arm of the FirstRand group, has launched the Ashburton World Government Bond ETF (ASHWGB SJ) on Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The ETF is the first to list on JSE to provide exposure to global government bonds.

Leading index provider to the ETF industry MSCI has received authorization from the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to be registered as a regulated UK benchmark administrator under the European Union’s Benchmark Regulation. Baer Pettit, President of MSCI, commented, “We welcome the positive news of the FCA’s decision and feel it reflects our continued commitment to high standards in benchmark administration.”

BlackRock has launched the iShares Edge MSCI EMU Multifactor UCITS ETF (EDMF GY) on Deutsche Börse. The fund, an extension of the ‘iShares Edge’ suite of smart beta ETFs, consists of a portfolio of companies listed in developed eurozone markets that have been selected to maximise exposure to four factors – value, momentum, size and quality – while maintaining a risk profile similar to that of the parent MSCI EMU index.

The results of elections in Italy could signal a return to uncertainty for the European Union as Italian voters favoured two anti-establishment parties, the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Northern League, in a outcome that failed to provide any party with the majority needed to govern. ETF issuers ETF Securities, WisdomTree and SPDR ETFs, offered their take on the election results.

JP Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM) has now launched on the London Stock Exchange the three bond ETFs it unveiled last month, marking the formal introduction of the first JP Morgan-branded fixed income ETFs in Europe.

A new white-label UCITS ETF platform, called marketβeta, is set to be established in Europe, providing third-party asset managers with the infrastructure to build and launch ETFs into Europe without having to establish their own full-service business. The platform is being launched by Graeme Dewar, previously head of strategy implementation at LGIM; and Joy Yang, former head of equities at Vanguard.

Deutsche Asset Management has lowered the expense ratios of two Xtrackers ETFs within its suite of high dividend equity funds. Fiona Bassett, global co-head of passive asset management in the Americas, commented, “With interest rates globally currently at low levels, equities paying higher dividend rates could be an attractive option to meet ongoing income requirements within portfolios.”

Invesco has announced that it is moving to a unified global brand. The company will now be referred to as Invesco everywhere it does business with the brands affected by the change being Perpetual, Trimark and Invesco’s ETF business PowerShares. Marty Flanagan, president and CEO of Invesco, said, “Although we are moving to a unified brand, we will preserve the time-tested and distinctive investment perspectives, processes and approaches of our many investment teams across the globe.”

Assets invested in ETFs/ETPs listed in Europe increased by a record $54.0 billion during January 2018 to reach a new high of $856bn, according to ETF industry consultant ETFGI. At the current growth rate, AUM within the European ETF/ETP industry is expected to pass the $1 trillion milestone in April 2018.