VelocityShares, a developer of alternative exchange-traded products perhaps best known for its occasionally notorious VIX ETNs, has rolled out two new innovative exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the NYSE Arca. The funds are linked to proprietary in-house indices and provide exposure to a long/short volatility strategy combined with a large-cap US equity allocation.

Global short and leveraged exchange-traded product (ETP) assets rose by $4.4bn in the first four months of 2013, to $48.5bn, according to data released by Boost ETP. The growth in assets is a reflection, in part, of the increased breadth and depth of products available, improved education and understanding, and a general move by investors towards more transparent, exchange-traded products.

ETF Securities believes that the commodity super-cycle is far from over, despite recent falls in commodity prices which have wiped billions off the firm’s assets under management. The London-headquartered exchange-traded product (ETP) provider asserts that the main fundamental drivers of the super-cycle are still in force and that recent commodity price weaknesses are more related to business-cycle fluctuations and short-term commodity-specific supply increases than a change in structural fundamentals.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and related exchange-traded products (ETPs) linked to the inverse performance of the gold price have surged over the past few weeks as the precious metal has tumbled following downgrades from a number of prominent research houses. One of the best performing ETPs in this space is the London-listed Boost Gold 3x Short Daily ETP (3GOS), which provides triple short exposure to the gold price. It is up 48.5% month-to-date on the back of the dramatic sell-off.

VelocityShares, a US-based provider of exchange-traded products best known for its VIX ETNs, has rolled out three exchange-traded funds (ETFs) providing exposure to various emerging markets via American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts. The funds, which have been listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market and are linked to BNY Mellon DR Indices, provide access to broad emerging markets, emerging Asia, and Russia.

Volatility ETNs and ETFs have surged in popularity, helping providers such as iPath, VelocityShares, ProShares, UBS and Source to accumulate billions in assets. However, the chaotic collapse of the VelocityShares VIX ETN (TVIX) earlier this year has led EDHEC-Risk Institute to publish a study into the unique nature of volatility ETNs.