Clean-Tech Exports from Central and Eastern Europe Poised to Bolster EU Green Growth, World Bank Report Finds
December 19, 2024--Clean technology exports from Central and Eastern Europe have the potential to at least triple, strengthening the EU economy and its global competitiveness, according to the latest EU Regular Economic Report by the World Bank.
The annual report highlights the EU's emergence from an unprecedented tightening cycle, avoiding a deep recession and widespread job losses. GDP growth is forecast at 1.4 percent in 2025, although with variation among member states. With easing inflation and sustained nominal wage increases, real wages-after a sustained decline-are showing signs of improvement. However, risks remain, including geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions, and uneven economic recoveries coupled with elevated costs of living across the bloc.
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Source: worldbank.org
ESMA delivers final report on equity transparency under MiFID II
December 16, 2024-The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU's financial markets regulator and supervisor, published today the Final Report with proposals for amendments related to equity transparency under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II). Through its proposals ESMA aims to contribute to a more informative pre-trade and post-trade transparency regime.
The report includes proposals for the amendment of the regulatory technical standards (RTS) as well as technical advice (TA) on the provisions on equity transparency, covering:
Changes to the definition of a liquid market for equity instrument;
Specification of information to be disclosed for pre-trade transparency purposes, which is also of relevance for the equity consolidated tape;
Review of the pre-trade transparency requirements for Systematic Internalisers (SIs), including the calibration of two quoting sizes.; and
Post-trade transparency reports, including flags for equity instruments.
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Source: ESMA
ESMA puts forward Q&As on the application of the Guidelines on funds' names
December 13, 2024-The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU's financial markets regulator and supervisor, is today publishing Q&As with further details on specific aspects of the practical application of the Guidelines on funds' names using ESG or sustainability-related terms.
The Q&As are related to green bonds [UCITS, AIF][1], the convergence on "meaningfully investing in sustainable investments" [UCITS, AIF] and the definition of controversial weapons [UCITS, AIF]. The objective is to ensure a smooth application of the Guidelines through common understanding of key concepts.
The Q&A on green bonds explains that investment restrictions related to the exclusion of companies do not apply to investments in European Green Bonds. For other green bonds, fund managers may use a look-through approach to assess whether the activities financed are relevant for the exclusions;
The Q&A on "meaningfully investing in sustainable investments" presents a common understanding among national competent authorities that funds may not be "meaningfully investing in sustainable investments" if they contain less than 50% of sustainable investments; and
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Source: ESMA
First Trust rolls out aerospace and semiconductor ETFs
December 12, 2024-Bringing First Trust's total UCITS ETF range up to 36 products
ETF provider First Trust has floated two new thematic strategies on the London Stock Exchange.
Launched in collaboration with Indxx, the First Trust Indxx Global Aerospace & Defence UCITS ETF will provide exposure to global companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues from the traditional and advanced aerospace or defence sectors.
The ETF charges a 0.65% total expense ratio.
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Source: portfolio-adviser.com
ESMA publishes latest edition of its newsletter
December 11, 2024-The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU's financial markets regulator and supervisor, has today published its latest edition of the Spotlight on Markets Newsletter.
Your one-stop-shop in the world of EU financial markets features ESMA's high-level conference "Shaping the future of EU capital markets". The event will take place in Paris on 5 February 2025 and aims to discuss priority areas to ensure the success of the Savings and Investments Union for EU citizens and businesses.
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Source: ESMA
New bond ETF from UBS on Xetra: Access to the bond market for eurozone government bonds
December 10, 2024-Since Tuesday, a new exchange-traded fund from UBS Fund Solutions has been tradable on Xetra and Börse Frankfurt.
The UBS ETF (LU) Bloomberg EUR Treasury 1-10 UCITS ETF tracks the performance of the Bloomberg EUR Treasury 1-10 Bond Index. Investors will gain access to the bond market for eurozone government bonds.
The index is composed of government bonds denominated in euros, issued by members of the Eurozone. Only investment-grade bonds with a residual maturity of at least one and no more than ten years are considered.
These are accumulating share classes in which the returns are reinvested.
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Source: Xetra
New on Xetra: Equity ETFs from iShares invest in beneficiaries of artificial intelligence and in companies in the field of AI infrastructure
December 9, 2024-Since Monday, two new exchange-traded funds from iShares have been tradable on Xetra and Börse Frankfurt.
The iShares AI Adopters & Applications UCITS ETF tracks the performance of the STOXX Global AI Adopters & Applications Index.
The companies included in the index are expected to benefit from the advancement of artificial intelligence in various areas such as finance, healthcare, mobility and process automation, as well as in operational areas.
The companies are identified based on their detailed sales and patent data in the field of applied AI.
The iShares AI Infrastructure UCITS ETF tracks the performance of the STOXX Global AI Infrastructure Index. This includes companies that play a central role in the development and expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure. This includes areas such as semiconductors, cloud computing, and big data technologies.
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Source: Xetra
New equity ETFs from SPDR on Xetra: Access to high-quality companies from the US and worldwide
December 9, 2024-Since Monday, two new exchange-traded funds from State Street Global Advisors have been tradable via Xetra and Börse Frankfurt.
The SPDR S&P 500 Quality Aristocrats UCITS ETF measures the performance of U.S. companies with higher quality characteristics than the S&P 500 Index. To do this, the selected companies must first have a positive free cash flow (FCF) over several years.
The 100 companies that have the highest rating of FCF margin and FCF yield on a 5-year average are then selected.
The SPDR S&P Developed Quality Aristocrats UCITS ETF uses the same approach with the S&P Developed LargeMidCap Index as it's main index, investing in 100 large and mid-cap companies from developed markets that have the highest quality rating of FCF margin and FCF return.
These are accumulating share classes in which the returns are reinvested.
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Source: Xetra
New on Xetra: Active ETFs from Xtrackers invest in companies with high investment capacity in the field of green technologies
December 6, 2024-Since Friday, two new active exchange-traded funds from Xtrackers are available for trading on Xetra and Börse Frankfurt.
The actively managed Xtrackers World Green Transition Innovators UCITS ETF targets global large- and mid-cap companies that are at the forefront of developing and implementing green technologies.
These companies are selected based on their significant research and development activities in green technologies, as evidenced by their patent portfolios.
For investors seeking exposure to small-cap companies, the actively managed Xtrackers World Small Cap Green Transition Innovators UCITS ETF offers a similar investment objective.
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Source: Xetra
ECB-Monetary developments in the euro area: October 2024
November 28, 2024--Annual growth rate of broad monetary aggregate M3 increased to 3.4% in October 2024 from 3.2% in September
Annual growth rate of narrower monetary aggregate M1, comprising currency in circulation and overnight deposits, increased to 0.2% in October from -1.3% in September
Annual growth rate of adjusted loans to households stood at 0.8% in October, compared with 0.7% in September
Annual growth rate of adjusted loans to non-financial corporations stood at 1.2% in October, compared with 1.1% in September
Components of the broad monetary aggregate M3
The annual growth rate of the broad monetary aggregate M3 increased to 3.4% in October 2024 from 3.2% in September, averaging 3.2% in the three months up to October. The components of M3 showed the following developments. The annual growth rate of the narrower aggregate M1, which comprises currency in circulation and overnight deposits, increased to 0.2% in October from -1.3% in September. The annual growth rate of short-term deposits other than overnight deposits (M2-M1) decreased to 7.3% in October from 9.6% in September. The annual growth rate of marketable instruments (M3-M2) decreased to 20.0% in October from 21.6% in September.
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Source: ECB