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IndexIQ Debuts Japan Mid-Cap ETF
June 2, 2011--IndexIQ, the firm behind a suite of hedge fund replication ETFs and small cap country-specific funds, notched another first for the ETF industry on Thursday.
The IQ Japan Mid Cap ETF (RSUN) will seek to replicate an index that consists of about 100 mid cap Japanese stocks. The weighted average market capitalization of the companies that make up the index will be approximately $3 billion
Guggenheim Launches Actively Managed Fixed-Income ETFs
Asset Manager Stakes Presence in Actively Managed Space
June 2, 2011 – Guggenheim Funds Distributors, Inc. announced the launch of two new actively managed exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the Guggenheim Enhanced Core Bond ETF (NYSE Arca: GIY)
and
the Guggenheim Ultra-Short Bond ETF (NYSE Arca: GSY). The two funds seek to offer the benefits of active management and a cost-effective way to access today’s fixed income marketplace.
Guggenheim Enhanced Core Bond ETF* is an actively managed ETF that seeks total return comprised of income and capital appreciation. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities and attempts to outperform the Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond index. The Investment Adviser utilizes a quantitative strategy which attempts to identify relative mispricing among the instruments of a given asset class and estimate future returns which may arise from the eventual correction of the relative mispricing.
Guggenheim Enhanced Ultra-Short Bond ETF** is an actively managed ETF that seeks maximum income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities. The Fund uses a low duration strategy to seek to outperform the 1-3 Month Treasury Bill Index in addition to providing returns in excess of those available in U.S. Treasury bills, government repurchase agreements, and money market funds. The Fund is not a money market fund and thus does not seek to maintain a stable net asset value of $1.00 per share.
CME Group Volume Averaged 13.5 Million Contracts Per Day In May 2011, Up 11
Agricultural commodities average daily volume up 32 percent year over year
Metals average daily volume up 16 percent year over year
June 2, 2011CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, today announced May volume averaged 13.5 million contracts per day, up 11 percent from April 2011, but down 20 percent from the all-time record monthly average daily volume in May 2010.
Total volume for May was 283 million contracts, of which a record 85 percent was traded electronically. May 2011 month-end open interest reached 97 million contracts, up 7 percent from the same period last year and up 4 percent from the same period last quarter.
SEC, FINRA Warn Retail Investors About Investing in Structured Notes with Principal Protection
June 2, 2011--The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) have issued an investor alert called Structured Notes with Principal Protection: Note the Terms of Your Investment to educate investors about the risks of structured notes with principal protection, and to help them understand how these complex financial products work.
The retail market for these notes has grown in recent years, and while these structured products have reassuring names, they are not risk-free.
Structured notes with principal protection typically combine a zero-coupon bond – which pays no interest until the bond matures — with an option or other derivative product whose payoff is linked to an underlying asset, index or benchmark. The underlying asset, index or benchmark can vary widely, from commonly cited market benchmarks to currencies, commodities and spreads between interest rates. The investor is entitled to participate in a return that is linked to a specified change in the value of the underlying asset. However, investors should know that these notes might be structured in a way such that their upside exposure to the underlying asset, index or benchmark is limited or capped.
Standard & Poor's Announces Changes In The S&P/TSX Canadian Indices
June 2, 2011-Standard & Poor's Canadian Index Operations announces the following index changes:
The shareholders of Equinox Minerals Limited (TSX:EQN) have accepted the $C8.15 cash per share takeover offer from Barrick Gold Corporation (TSX:ABX).
Equinox Minerals will be removed from the S&P/TSX Composite and Capped Composite, the S&P/TSX Equity, Capped Equity and Equity Completion, the S&P/TSX Completion, the S&P/TSX Capped Diversified Metals & Mining, the S&P/TSX Global Mining, Global Base Metals and Equal Weight Global Base Metals and the S&P/TSX Capped Materials indices after close on Thursday, June 9, 2011.
Company additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the company.
CBOE to Begin Disseminating Two New Volatility Benchmarks Based on CME Group Corn
June 2, 2011--The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) announced today that on Monday, June 6, CBOE will begin disseminating data for CME Group on two new volatility indexes based on CBOT corn and soybean options prices. The new volatility indexes will be calculated using proprietary CBOE Volatility Index® (VIX®)) methodology.
The CBOE/CBOT Corn Volatility Index (Ticker - CIV) and CBOE/CBOT Soybean Volatility Index (Ticker - SIV) follow two other CME Group volatility indexes that CBOE began calculating for CME Group in September 2010 -- the CBOE/NYMEX WTI Volatility Index (Ticker - OIV) and the CBOE/COMEX Gold Volatility Index (Ticker - GVX).
In March 2010, CBOE entered into a license agreement with CME Group that grants CME Group a worldwide license to trade futures and options on agreed-upon futures products based on indexes calculated by CBOE. CBOE retains ownership of the resulting volatility indexes used by CME Group.
Global X Funds Launches First Farming ETF (BARN)
June 2, 2011--Global X Funds, the New York based provider of exchange traded funds (ETFs), today launched the Global X Farming ETF (Ticker: BARN). BARN is the first ETF that comprehensively covers the farming sector, focusing on companies involved in agricultural products, livestock operations, and the manufacturing of farming equipment.
The global food crisis, driven in part by higher fuel costs, weather events, and increased demand from emerging market nations (World Bank, 2011), has placed greater importance on the farming industry. It is directly responsible for producing the agriculture and livestock products necessary for feeding the planet. World food production will have to rise 70 percent by 2050 to feed a population forecast to grow to 9 billion people (Bloomberg, May 2011). Emerging markets are predicted to be the main drivers of demand for world agricultural production, consumption and trade, propelled by rising per capita incomes and urbanization (Food and Agricultural Organization, 2010).The reality of food scarcity, coupled with high oil prices and a feeble US dollar, and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions will multiply the severity of rising food prices and lead agricultural products to become hard assets (The Market Oracle, 2011).
"As the population in emerging economies increases their purchasing power and shifts dietary patterns, these nations have to increase food production yields," said CEO of Global X Funds, Bruno del Ama. "Investors in BARN may stand to benefit from this continuing and global demand."
The Global X Farming ETF tracks the Solactive Global Farming Index, which is designed to measure broad based equity market performance of global companies involved in the farming industry. As of May 23, 2011, the three largest components of the index were Vitierra Inc., Kubota Corp., and Wilmar International Ltd.
DBX files with the SEC
June 2, 2011--DBX has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC.
view filing
CME tilts at NYSE Liffe with euribor futures launch
June 2, 2011--CME Group on Thursday turned the tables on NYSE Euronext in their battle in the futures markets by unveiling plans to offer trading in a version of euribor futures, NYSE’s flagship derivatives product.
The move comes three months after NYSE Liffe, the futures arm of NYSE Euronext, started offering trading in eurodollar futures – the flagship contracts offered by Chicago-based CME Group.
Global X files with the SEC
June 1, 2011--Global X has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the Global X Auto ETF amd the
Global X Farming ETF.
Van Eck files with the SEC
June 1, 2011--Van Eck has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC.
ISE Reports Business Activity for May 2011
June 1, 2011 –Dividend trades made up 6.3% of industry volume in May 2011.
ISE is the third largest equity options exchange in May with market share of 19.0%, excluding dividend trades.
The International Securities Exchange (ISE) today reported average daily volume of 2.9 million contracts
in May 2011. This represents a decrease of 27.1% compared to May 2010, a month which experienced high options volume due to significant market volatility on May 6, 2010 and throughout the month. Total options volume for the month was 60.6 million contracts.
ISE was the third-largest U.S. equity options
exchange in May with market share of 19.0%*. Business highlights for the month of May include:
On May 9, 2011, ISE announced that Stanley Choung was elected to its Board of Directors. Mr.
Choung, Managing Director of the Institutional Equity Division for Morgan Stanley, now serves as
an industry director representing ISE’s Primary Market Makers (PMMs).
On May 24, 2011, ISE commenced the migration of its primary market to its new options trading system on the Optimise™ trading architecture.
Aggregate assets under management for the ETFs based on ISE’s proprietary indexes was $1.7 billion as of May 31, 2011.
Toronto Stock Exchange Reaches Over 200 Exchange Traded Product Listings
June 1, 2011--TMX Group Inc. today announced that with the listing of two XTF Capital exchange traded funds (ETFs), Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has now reached over 200 exchange traded products (ETPs) comprised of 187 ETFs and 14 exchange traded notes (ETNs). The number of listed products has more than doubled in the past two years bringing the total market cap to approximately $49 billion.
Other issuers listing ETPs on TSX include Barclays Capital, BMO Financial Group, Claymore Investments, Inc., Horizons Exchange Traded Fund Group, Invesco PowerShares and iShares Funds. In 2010, there were 52 new ETP listings, and there have been 27 new ETFs listed so far this year.
"The listing of over 200 exchange traded products marks a significant achievement for TSX as we meet the increasing demand from investors who are turning to this investment tool for portfolio diversification," said Ungad Chadda, Senior Vice President, Toronto Stock Exchange. "We'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of our issuers and welcome a new issuer, XTF Capital eXchange Traded Funds, which listed two ETFs on TSX today."
The Options Industry Council Announces Options Trading Volume In May Remains On Record Pace
June 1, 2011-- The Options Industry Council (OIC) announced today that total options trading volume in May was 359,310,820 contracts. While this is down 11.47 percent compared to May of last year when 405,860,027 contracts traded, last month is still the second highest May on record only behind May 2010 which was a peak month for options volume, partly as a result of the 'Flash Crash.'
Average daily trading volume for May was 17,110,039 contracts, keeping up a record pace for 2011 as average daily trading volume for the month of May is 10.58 percent higher than average daily volume for 2010. Additionally, year-to-date volume stood at 1,844,620,084 contracts at the end of May, 9.04 percent higher than the same point last year when 1,691,614,252 contracts were traded. Average daily trading volume for 2011 is 17,908,933 contracts, up 7.99 percent over the 16,584,454 contracts average traded in the same period last year.
OIC also reported that equity options volume in May came in at 336,176,810 contracts, down 9.25 percent compared to the same period last year. Daily equity options volume had an average of 16,008,420 contracts per day in May, which is 13.57 percent lower than the year-ago level of 18,522,423. Year-to-date equity options volume was 1,723,240,326 contracts, which is 10.63 percent higher than the same point last year when 1,557,710,476 contracts were traded.
Inflation Dynamics and the Great Recession -IMF Working Paper
June 1, 2011--This paper examines inflation dynamics in the United States since 1960, with a particular focus on the Great Recession. A puzzle emerges when Phillips curves estimated over 1960-2007 are ussed to predice inflation over 2008-2010: inflation should have fallen by more than it did.
. We resolve this puzzle with two modifications of the Phillips curve, both suggested by theories of costly price adjustment: we measure core inflation with the median CPI inflation rate, and we allow the slope of the Phillips curve to change with the level and vairance of inflation. We then examine the hypothesis of anchored inflation expectations. We find that expectations have been fully "shock-anchored" since the 1980s, while "level anchoring" has been gradual and partial, but significant. It is not clear whether expectations are sufficiently anchored to prevent deflation over the next few years. Finally, we show that the Great Recession provides fresh evidence against the New Keynesian Phillips curve with rational expectations.
