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Bitcoin Jumps on Speculation BlackRock 'May Know Something'
June 20, 2023--At least three issuers have filed plans since BlackRock filing
The SEC has resisted allowing spot Bitcoin ETFs, citing risks
BlackRock Inc.'s surprise filing for a US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund last week has led to a flurry of similar applications from rival issuers and speculation that the asset manager has key insights that will lead to approval of its application.
Bitcoin has jumped more than 20% since the filing to more than $30,000. On Tuesday, Invesco Ltd. renewed its application for the physically-backed Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin ETF within hours of WisdomTree's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission for the WisdomTree Bitcoin Trust. Days earlier, Bitwise submitted plans for a similar vehicle.
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bloomberg.com
Anti-ESG funds fail to gain traction in the US
June 20, 2023--Morningstar data shows sales peaked in the third quarter of 2022
Funds designed as alternatives to environmental, social and governance funds are losing sales momentum rapidly, raising questions about the category's long-term viability.
A report from Morningstar focusing on the US market shows the funds' sales peaked in the third quarter of 2022, at $377mn but have since plunged, hitting $183mn in this year's first quarter. This comes despite overall assets rising more than seven-fold in the year to March, to $2.1bn.
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Source: ft.com
BlackRock delves deeper into crypto with push for bitcoin ETF
June 15, 2023--Asset manager's product would be first publicly traded spot bitcoin exchange traded fund in US if approved by SEC
BlackRock pushed further into cryptocurrencies on Thursday by filing an application with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to offer a spot bitcoin exchange traded fund.
If the SEC approves the application, the fund would trade on the Nasdaq stock market, making it the first publicly traded spot bitcoin ETF in the US.
The $9tn money manager already runs a private spot bitcoin trust that it launched last year. The ETF marks a further expansion of its partnership with embattled crypto exchange Coinbase, which would be the custodian of the fund's bitcoin.
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Source: ft.com
IMF Staff Country Report-United States: 2023 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for the United States
June 15, 2023--Summary:
The U.S. economy has proven resilient in the face of the significant tightening of both fiscal and monetary policy in 2022.
Consumer demand has held up particularly well, boosted initially by a drawdown of pent-up savings and, more recently, by solid growth in real disposable incomes. Policy restraint is expected to continue to slow the economy in 2023 with a modest pick-up in momentum later in 2024. Unemployment is expected to rise slowly to close to 4 ½ percent by end- 2024.
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Source: imf.org
Carving Up the Bond Market Swells Into $39 Billion ETF Business
June 15, 2023--Maturity-focused BlackRock and Invesco bond funds are booming
managers are flocking to extremely precise fixed-income exchange-traded funds as a hawkish central bank and economic uncertainty batter the bond market.
Assets in BlackRock Inc. and Invesco Ltd.'s maturity-focused bond ETFs, which hold debt maturing in a certain year, have soared to all-time highs this year, data from the issuers show. BlackRock's iBonds lineup now holds over $22 billion, while Invesco's BulletShares suite of funds isn't far behind with over $16 billion.
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Source: bloomberg.com
US Fed Pauses Rate Hikes But Signals More Tightening Ahead
June 14, 2023--The US Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to pause its aggressive campaign of interest rate hikes despite "elevated" inflation, while indicating that another sharp increase could be needed before year-end.
After 10 straight increases since March 2022, the Fed's rate-setting committee voted to hold its benchmark lending rate between 5.0 percent and 5.25 percent, the central bank said in a statement.
Despite the Fed's aggressive campaign of monetary tightening, annual inflation remains stubbornly above its long-term target of two percent, while unemployment is close to record lows.
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Source: barrons.com
Simplify Announces the Launch of the Market Neutral Equity Long/Short ETF (EQLS)
June 14, 2023--Fund delivers a modern take on an equity long/short portfolio, utilizing a multi-factor machine learning-powered quantitative ranking system to drive equity exposure and a dynamic deleveraging strategy to help avoid severe drawdowns
Simplify Asset Management ("Simplify"), an innovative provider of Exchange Traded Funds ("ETFs"), is today announcing the launch of the Simplify Market Neutral Equity Long/Short ETF (NYSE Arca: EQLS).
The Fund is a first-of-its-kind ETF, utilizing a proprietary machine learning stock selection model to deliver a modern take on the equity long/short portfolio.
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Source: Simplify Asset Management Inc.
ETFGI reports ETFs industry in Canada gathered net inflows of US$2.12 billion during May
June 14, 2023--ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm covering trends in the global ETFs ecosystem, reported today that the ETFs industry in Canada gathered net inflows of US$2.12 billion during May, bringing year-to-date net inflows to US$12.80 billion.
Year-to-date, assets have increased 8.5%, going from US$250 Bn at the end of 2022, to US$271 Bn, according to ETFGI's May 2023 Canadian ETFs and ETPs industry landscape insights report, the monthly report which is part of an annual paid-for research subscription service. (All dollar values in USD unless otherwise noted.)
Highlights
ETFs industry in Canada gathered net inflows of $2.12 Bn in May.
YTD net inflows of $12.80 Bn in 2023 are the fourth highest on record, after YTD net inflows of $22.22 Bn in 2021, YTD net inflows of $15.76 Bn in 2022, and YTD net inflows of $14.42 Bn in 2020.
11th month of consecutive net inflows.
Assets of $271 Bn invested in ETFs industry in Canada at the end of May.
Assets have increased 8.5 % YTD in 2023, going from $250 Bn at the end of 2022, to $271 Bn.
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Source: etfgi.com
WisdomTree board battle reaches climax as AGM approaches
June 13, 2023--WisdomTree's battle with its largest shareholder over its board has reached a climax ahead of its annual general meeting later this week.
The fight between WisdomTree and ETFS Capital, which holds a combined 18.3% of WisdomTree's outstanding common stock on an as-converted basis, erupted in April over the performance of the firm and the launch of its digital wallet.
WisdomTree accused of 'desperate smears' by largest shareholder as conflict escalates
In a letter yesterday (12 June), ETFS Capital once again attacked the firm, arguing it has "presided over the destruction of $1bn of stockholder value".
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Source: investmentweek.co.uk
SEC to Weigh New Artificial-Intelligence Rules for Brokerages
June 13, 2023--Wall Stree's main regulator is moving to introduce new rules for brokerages using artificial intelligence to interact with clients.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday that a long contemplated plan to rein in conflicts of interest associated with the technology could be introduced as soon as October.
The proposal would also apply to predictive data analytics and machine learning.
Since taking the helm of the agency two years ago, SEC Chair Gary Gensler has repeatedly expressed concerns over whether brokers and financial advisers really make recommendations that are in their clients' best interests. He’s also said certain new technologies when used by financial professionals can present "inherent" conflicts of interest.
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Source: bnnbloomberg.ca