United States Commodity Funds files with the SEC
February 13, 2013--United States Commodity Funds Trust has filed a amendment no. 5 to Form S-1, registration statement with the SEC for the United States Asian Commodities Basket Fund.
view filing
BlackRock's Kapito Says Firm Must Penetrate U.S. Retail Market
February 13, 2013--BlackRock Inc.'s Robert Kapito, president of the world’s largest asset manager, said the firm sees an opportunity to grow by selling more funds to individuals.
"Retail is an enormous growth opportunity,” Kapito said today at the Credit Suisse Financial Services Forum. New York- based BlackRock is still “underpenetrated” in the U.S. retail market, excluding exchange-traded funds, with less than a 2 percent market share for assets under management in open-end mutual funds, he said.
Guggenheim Investments Launches CurrencyShares(R) Singapore Dollar Trust
FXSG is the First Singapore Dollar ETP in the Market
February 13, 2013--Guggenheim Investments, the investment management division of Guggenheim Partners, announced today the launch of the first Singapore Dollar exchanged traded product (ETP), CurrencyShares(R)Singapore Dollar Trust (NYSE:FXSG).
CurrencyShares® Singapore Dollar Trust seeks to provide institutional and retail investors a cost-effective way to gain exposure to the Singapore dollar. The unique CurrencyShares® structure provides pure exposure to the Singapore Dollar by holding actual foreign currency deposits, not derivative instruments. In addition to pure exposure, CurrencyShares®' investing advantages include transparency, potential tax efficiency, trading flexibility, accessibility and liquidity.
Citi Extends Leadership Position for ETF Custody and Fund Administration Services in Latin America
February 12, 2013--Citi has extended its leadership position in both custody and fund administration for Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in Latin America with new mandates from BlackRock in Brazil and Mexico.
Citi supported the launch of BlackRock's two new ETFs in Brazil investing in carbon and public infrastructure and has expanded its relationship with BlackRock in Mexico with the conversion of the largest ETF product in Latin America.
Precidian Funds files with the SEC
February 12, 2013--Precidian Funds has filed a first amended and restated application for exemptive relief with the SEC.
view filing
Yorkville Launches High Income Infrastructure MLP ETF (YMLI
February 12, 2013--Yorkville ETF Advisors has expanded its lineup of master limited partnership (MLP) products with the launch of the Yorkville High Income Infrastructure MLP ETF (NYSE:YMLI).
YMLI provides exposure to infrastructure MLPs, which offer capital appreciation potential as a group of companies expected to grow significantly over the next decade in response to demand for pipelines, storage and processing systems required by rapidly growing U.S. energy production.
Market Vectors ETFs Launches BIZD, a Business Development Company-Focused ETF
ETF is first to offer pure-play exposure to traditionally high-yielding "BDCs"
February 12, 2013--Market Vectors ETF Trust today launched the Market Vectors BDC Income ETF (NYSE Arca: BIZD), the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) designed to provide pure-play exposure to business development companies (BDCs).
“Business development companies have traditionally been high-yielding, making them an attractive choice in today’s ongoing search for income,” said Brandon Rakszawski, product manager for Market Vectors ETFs. “Investing in BDCs provides exposure to private companies that many investors could not otherwise access, allowing for potential growth and yield generation.”
EGA-Emerging Market Volatility-Remedies for the Chronically Underweight
February 12, 2013--Wealth managers often contemplate aligning emerging market (EM) allocations with global market capitalization weights. Yet such increases may come at the
price of higher overall portfolio volatility.
It is possible to construct EM portfolios with lower volatility profiles. Doing so may not only allow for more meaningful EM allocations, but can also help wealth managers differentiate their value propositions.
We believe that U.S. investors will increasingly make choices in EM which reflect their own patterns and expertise. For example, if they consider volatility when choosing equities at home, we think they will also do so in emerging markets. In other words, they will view equity portfolio preferences more universally. We call this trend “normalization” of EM investing.
This EGA Expert Series edition addresses normalization relative to volatility.
PowerShares files with the SEC
February 12, 2013--PowerShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the
PowerShares S&P MidCap Low Volatility Portfolio (XMLV)
PowerShares S&P SmallCap Low Volatility Portfolio (XSLV).
view filing
Canada's Lowest Cost ETF Surpasses $1 Billion in Assets
February 11, 2013-- Horizons Exchange Traded Funds Inc. ("Horizons ETFs") and its affiliate Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. are pleased to announce that the Horizons S&P/TSX 60(TM) Index ETF ("HXT"), Canada's lowest cost ETF, has joined the select few of Canadian ETFs that have surpassed $1 billion in assets under management.
On October 1, 2012, Horizons ETFs announced a management fee rebate of 2 basis points which is in effect until at least September 30, 2013, reducing the annual management fee on HXT during this time from seven basis points (0.07%) to five basis points (0.05%), plus applicable sales taxes. Since then, HXT has raised more than $600 million in additional assets, more than doubling its size while average daily trading volume has also increased to almost 1 million units.
Morgan Stanley-US ETF Weekly Update
February 11, 2013--Weekly Flows: $1.9 Billion Net Outflows
First Week of Net Outflows in 2013
ETF Assets Stand at $1.4 Trillion, up almost 6% YTD
No ETF Launches Last Week
ProShares Announces Fee Reduction and Name Change on ETF
iShares Announces Index Changes on 11 Country ETFs
US-Listed ETFs: Estimated Flows by Market Segment
ETFs posted net outflows of $1.9 bln last week, the first week of net outflows in 2013
Net outflows were driven by US Large-Cap ETFs ($6.8 bln in net outflows last week); we note that two US-Large Cap ETFs accounted for a combined $6.5 bln in net outflows this past week
International ¡V Developed was the only segment to post net inflows of more than $1 bln last week ($1.3 bln in net inflows)
ETF assets stand at $1.4 tln, up almost 6% YTD; $29.2 bln net inflows YTD
13-week flows were mostly positive among asset classes; combined $73.8 bln in net inflows
International-Emerging ETFs generated net inflows of $17.6 bln over the last 13 weeks, the most of any ETF category
The $33.1 bln combined net inflows into International-Developed and International- Emerging ETFs accounted for 45% of the net inflows into US-listed ETFs over the past 13 weeks, which is greater than their combined 22% market share
US-Listed ETFs: Estimated Largest Flows by Individual ETF
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (DXJ) posted net inflows of $710 mln last week, the most of any ETF
YTD, DXJ has had net inflows of $2.0 billion, accounting for almost 60% of its current market cap
The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) had net inflows of $369 million last week, its highest since the week ending 1/28/11, when it had net inflows of $426 million
Three of the 10 ETFs with the highest net outflows last week track US large-cap indices; SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), PowerShares QQQ (QQQ), and SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) combined for net outflows of $6.8 bln last week
US-Listed ETFs: Short Interest
Data Unchanged: Based on data as of 1/15/13
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO) had the largest increase in USD short interest at $900 mln
VWO’s shares short are at their highest level of all time; we find the data point interesting because VWO is not typically the vehicle that investors use to get short emerging markets
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) shares short are at their lowest level since 10/15/12
Aggregate ETF USD short interest decreased by $2.2 bln over the past two weeks ended 1/15/13
The average shares short/shares outstanding for ETFs is currently 5.5%
SPDR Retail ETF (XRT) shares short/shares outstanding eclipsed 1,000% on 1/15/13 as flows into and out of XRT have been very volatile the past few weeks; retail ETFs are consistently some of the most heavily shorted ETFs
Based on multiple borrowings and the ability to continuously create new shares, shares short as a % of shares outstanding can exceed 100% (only six ETFs exhibited shares short as a % of shares outstanding greater than 100%)
US-Listed ETFs: Most Successful Recent Launches by Assets
Source: Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Research. Data estimated as of 2/8/13 based on daily change in share counts and daily NAVs.
$10.2 billion in total market cap of ETFs less than 1-year old
Newly launched Active ETFs account for 47% of the market cap of ETFs launched over the past year; PIMCO Total Return ETF (BOND) is the largest actively managed ETF with a market cap of $4.1 bln
Issuance off to a slow start in 2013; three new ETF listings and three closures YTD (13 announced closures)
The top 10 most successful launches make up 70% of the market cap of ETFs launched over the past year
Six different ETF sponsors and two asset classes represented in top 10 most successful launches
Seven out of the 10 most successful launches over the past year have an income orientation
The Market Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat Research ETF (MOAT) entered the top 10 this past week; MOAT has a market cap of $145 mln and provides exposure to the 20 most attractively valued US stocks that have a sustainable competitive
advantage, according to Morningstar’s equity research team
Nasdaq talked with Carlyle about going private-sources
February 11, 2013--Private equity firm Carlyle Group recently approached Nasdaq OMX Group about taking the exchange operator private, but the talks fell apart over a disagreement on price, sources familiar with the deal said on Monday.
Carlyle initiated the discussions and was in early stages of due diligence when differences emerged, bringing the talks to an end, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Advisers Reap Rewards as First ETF Turns 20 .
February 8, 2013--Despite skeptical clients and limited choices in the early going, portfolio managers who have been on the leading edge of bringing exchange-traded funds into the forefront of investing say they feel a sense of vindication.
The first ETF--the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY)--turned 20 late last month, and in the last two decades the U.S. marketplace has swelled to nearly 1,500 different funds and more than $1.4 trillion in assets.
Guggenheim files with the SEC
February 8, 2013--Guggenheim has filed a second amended and restated application for exemptive relif with the SEC.
view filing
ETFs And ETPs In Canada Reach A New All-Time High Of $56.7 Billion US Dollars At The End Of January 2013
February 8, 2013--Assets invested in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)and Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) listed in Canada reached a new all-time high of $56.7 billion at the end of January 2013, according to figures from ETFGI's monthly Canada ETF and ETP industry insights.
Market performance contributed to the increase in the value of assets held in ETFs and ETPs as 18 of the top 20 markets globally showed gains in January, including the S&P/TSX composite index in Canada which was up 2% in local currency terms. Two of the markets with strong gains were the US and the UK where history has shown that a strong January tends to be a good predictor for the rest of the year. A review of history in both markets shows that strong January performance is typically followed by positive returns in the subsequent 11 months.
The FTSE 100 index was up 6.5% in January, which ranks as the best start to the year since 1989. According to FTSE, 14 of the 17 Januaries with positive performance since 1984 (when the index was launched) were followed by 11 months of positive returns. Similarly, the S&P 500 index was up 5.0% in January, which ranked as the 12th best January since 1950 and the 19thJanuary since 1950 when the index was up more than 4%. Again, since 1950, January gains of at least 4% in the S&P 500 have been followed on average by gains of 15.1% in the subsequent 11 months of the year. Only once since 1950 did the S&P 500 rise by more than 4% in January and then finish the year lower than it did at January’s end – and that was in 1987.