Global ETF News Older than One Year
Watson Wyatt urges caution around ETFs - points to better options
December 8, 2009The vast majority of Exchange Trade Funds (ETFs) are an unattractive long-term investment option for most institutional investors according to Watson Wyatt, a leading global consultant. The firm says that while the development of the sector has driven a great deal of product innovation, institutional investors should consider ETFs in conjunction with alternative options because ETFs generally have higher fees than many institutional index products; may have tax implications that require specialist advice; and often contain counterparty risks which investors may not be compensated for.
The firm also suggests that there is a great deal of development within indexation, which is likely to offer passive investors a broader range of options and better risk-adjusted returns than those currently available.
Chris Sutton, senior investment consultant, said: “The Exchange Traded Funds business is to be applauded for its substantial innovation and the way it has opened up a world of potentially interesting market exposures. However the case for their inclusion in institutional investment portfolios is not yet obvious as we wait to see more competitive fees and transparent structures. In the meantime, they may be useful tools for transition and shorter-term exposure management. Where the ETF industry has engaged in product proliferation, we would rather press for genuine innovation in the investment content of index products. If investors are looking for more efficient market exposures their first step should be to review the indices underlying their existing investments, with a view to seeing if there are better alternatives.”
According to the firm there are a good range of institutional passive products available in most markets, which are cheaper than many ETFs. In addition, in many markets, passive funds have been structured with clearly defined tax positions for institutional investors, while the treatment of ETFs is much more variable, which typically necessitates tax advice.
Chris Sutton said: “ETF sponsors have also embedded significant amounts of counterparty risk inside ETFs, whether through stock lending or the way in which swaps are used. It is not clear that investors are being adequately compensated for having to take these risks when holding an ETF.”
The firm suggests that ETFs can be useful tools for transition and exposure management but asserts that most investment strategies can also be implemented more cheaply and efficiently using index funds, index futures or swaps.
Chris Sutton said; “While there is a lot of noise around the profusion of ETFs now available in the marketplace, the real story is investors’ realisation that capitalisation-weighted portfolios are not necessarily optimal, leading them to contemplate shifting significant assets into alternative weighting approaches.”
Source: Watson Wyatt
Component Changes Made To Dow Jones Select Dividend Indexes
December 8, 2009--Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, today announced component changes in the Dow Jones Australia Select Dividend 30, Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend and Dow Jones Global Select Dividend indexes.
Felix Resources Ltd. (Australia, Basic Resources, FLX.AU) will be removed from the Dow Jones Australia Select Dividend 30, Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend and Dow Jones Global Select Dividend indexes due to its acquisition by Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. Ltd. (China, Basic Resources, 1171.HK). The changes will be effective as of the open of trading on Monday, December 14, 2009.
In the Dow Jones Australia Select Dividend 30 Index, Felix Resources Ltd. (Australia, Basic Resources, FLX.AU) will be replaced by Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. (Australia, Food & Beverage, CCL.AU).
In the Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index, Felix Resources Ltd. (Australia, Basic Resources, FLX.AU) will be replaced by Swisscom AG (Switzerland, Telecommunications, SCMN.VX).
In the Dow Jones Global Select Dividend Index, Felix Resources Ltd. (Australia, Basic Resources, FLX.AU) will be replaced by StarHub Ltd. (Singapore, Telecommunications, CC3.SG).
Due to component changes being announced today, the results of the regular annual review, announced on December 3, 2009, are being adjusted. Peab AB Series B (Sweden, Construction & Materials, PEAB-B-SK) will be added to the Dow Jones Global Select Dividend Index in place of StarHub Ltd. (Singapore, Telecommunications, CC3.SG). Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Japan, Health Care, 4528.OK) will be added to the Dow Jones EPAC Select Dividend Index in place of Swisscom AG (Switzerland, Telecommunications, SCMN.VX). Component changes as a result of the regular index review will be effective after the close of trading on Friday, December 18, 2009.
Further information on the Dow Jones Select Dividend indexes can be found on the Dow Jones Indexes Web site at http://www.djindexes.com.
Source: Dow Jones Indexes
NYSE Euronext Announces Trading Volumes for November 2009
December 8, 2009--NYSE Euronext (NYX) today announced trading volumes for its global derivatives and cash equities exchanges for November 20091. Trading volumes in November 2009 were mixed, with European derivatives products trading volumes increasing 16.4% and U.S. options trading volumes increasing 50.6% versus prior year.
U.S. and European cash equities trading volumes, however, declined 40.4% and 10.2%, respectively, from prior year levels when increased levels of volatility drove higher cash equities trading volumes.
Highlights
NYSE Euronext European derivatives products average daily volume (“ADV”) in November 2009 of 4.3 million contracts increased 16.4% compared to November 2008, and increased 11.2% from October 2009. Total European interest rate products ADV in November 2009 of 2.3 million contracts increased 31.2% compared to November 2008, and increased 16.4% from October 2009 and are at their highest levels since June 2009. Total equity products ADV of 1.9 million contracts increased 2.9% compared to November 2008, and increased 6.5% from October 2009.
NYSE Group U.S. equity options (NYSE Arca and NYSE Amex) ADV of 3.0 million contracts in November 2009 increased 50.6% compared to November 2008 levels, but decreased 5.7% from October 2009. NYSE Group’s U.S. options exchanges accounted for 24.7% of the total consolidated equity options trading in November 2009, up from 17.0% in November 2008, and up from 22.8% in October 2009. NYSE Group has now achieved market share in line with ISE, trailing only the CBOE which had 26.3% market share in November 2009.
Source: Business Wire
U.S. Remains Most Attractive Country for Renewable Energy
December 7, 2009--The United States remains the most attractive country overall for renewable energy, but China has moved ahead of Germany to take second spot in the rankings released by Ernst & Young.
The quarterly Renewable energy country attractiveness indices provide scores for national renewable energy markets, infrastructures and their suitability for individual technologies. The weighting in the latest rankings has been amended to give 68% for wind (both onshore and offshore), 15% for solar (PV and CSP) and 17% for biomass and other renewable energy technologies.
The USA scores in top spot in the ‘All Renewables’ index, with a 70 comprised of 71 for wind, 75 for onshore wind, 59 for offshore wind, 72 for solar PV, 76 for CSP, 64 for biomass / other, 67 for geothermal, and 68 for renewable energy infrastructure.
view the quarterly Renewable energy country attractiveness indices
Source: Renewableenergyfocus.com
ETF Landscape Industry Preview End of October 2009
December 7, 2009--Highlights
Global ETF and ETP Industry 2009:
Global Exchange Traded Products "ETP" AUM breaks through US$1 trillion - all time high.
• Global ETF assets have hit an all time high of US$942 bn at the end of October 2009 – 0.9% above the previous all time high of US$933 bn set in Q3 2009.
At the end of October 2009 the Global ETF industry had 1,859 ETFs with 3,327 listings, assets of $941.85 billion, from 97 providers on 40 exchanges around the world.
• YTD assets have risen by 32.5% which is more than the 20.2% rise in the MSCI World index in USD terms.
• YTD the number of ETFs increased by 16.8% with 336 new ETFs launched, while 73 ETFs were closed.
• In Q2 the number of ETFs listed in Europe surpassed the US with 801 ETFs listed in Europe, compared to 732 in the US .
• There are currently plans to launch 805 new ETFs.
• YTD the number of exchanges with official listings decreased by three to 40.
• YTD the average daily trading volume in USD decreased by 7.7% to US$74.4 Billion.
• MSCI ranks 1st in terms of ETF AUM tied to their benchmarks with assets of US$222.66 Bn and 267 ETFs, while Standard & Poors (S&P) ranks 2nd with US$218.83 Bn and 229 ETFs, followed by Barclays Capital in 3rd with US$81.33 Bn and 62 ETFs.
• Globally, iShares is the largest ETF provider in terms of both number of products, 405 ETFs, and assets of US$455.72 Bn, reflecting 48.4% market share; State Street Global Advisors is second with 106 products and US$137.08 Bn, 14.6% market share; followed by Vanguard with 40 products and assets of US$80.76 Bn and 8.6% market share at the end of October 2009.
• Globally, net sales of mutual funds (excluding ETFs) were US$155.2 Bn, while net sales of ETFs were US$76.8 Bn during the first eight months of 2009 according to Strategic Insight.
• Additionally, there were 569 other ETPs (Exchange Traded Products) with assets of US$139.70 Bn from 40 providers on 19 exchanges.
• Combined, there were 2,428 products with 4,166 listings, assets of US$1,081.54 Bn from 124 providers on 43 exchanges around the world.
• FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority which regulates all securities firms doing business in the US , issued a regulatory notice in June 2009 to provide guidance on leveraged and inverse ETFs. The notice states that "...inverse and leveraged ETFs that are reset daily typically are unsuitable for retail investors who plan to hold them for longer than one trading session, particularly in volatile markets..."
• The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) issued an Investor Alert on Tuesday 18 August 2009 entitled 'Leveraged and Inverse ETFs: Specialized Products with Extra Risks for Buy-and-Hold Investors'. The following is taken from the Alert: The SEC staff and FINRA are issuing this Alert because we believe individual investors may be confused about the performance objectives of leveraged and inverse exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Leveraged and inverse ETFs typically are designed to achieve their stated performance objectives on a daily basis. Some investors might invest in these ETFs with the expectation that the ETFs may meet their stated daily performance objectives over the long term as well. Investors should be aware that performance of these ETFs over a period longer than one day can differ significantly from their stated daily performance objectives.
• U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) held hearings on Energy Position Limits and Hedge Exemptions on July 28, July 29 and August 5, on whether federal position limits should be set on the energy markets. The hearings provided critical input from a wide range of industry participants and academics to the Commission's efforts to examine different approaches to regulate energy markets. The Commodity Exchange Act states that the Commission shall impose limits on trading and positions as necessary to eliminate, diminish or prevent the undue burdens on interstate commerce that may result from excessive speculation. The CFTC's hearings examined the role of position limits in energy markets in fulfilling the CFTC's mission to ensure the fair, open and efficient functioning of futures markets. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and other leading banks are exempt from most commodity-trading limits in order to manage risks as they serve as market makers. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is looking into whether those exemptions should stand, as it considers blanket limits on a variety of commodity markets. A number of ETPs/ ETFs providing exposure to commodities have recently issued notices that they have suspended their creation process.
US ETF and ETP Industry 2009:
• US ETF assets have hit an all time high of US$640 Bn at the end of October 2009 which tops the previous all time high of US$631 Bn set in Q3 2009.
• At the end of October 2009 the US ETF industry had 732 ETFs, assets of $639.58 billion, from 25 providers on 3 exchanges.
• 29 January 2009 marked the 16th anniversary of ETFs in the US.
• YTD assets have risen by 28.7%, which is more than the 15.3% rise in the MSCI USA index in USD terms.
• YTD the number of ETFs increased by 4.9% with 75 new ETFs launched, while 42 ETFs were delisted.
• YTD the average daily trading volume in US dollar has decreased by 10.3% to US$69.1 Bn.
• iShares is the largest ETF provider in terms of both number of products, 183 ETFs, and assets of US$341.21 Bn, reflecting 53.3% market share; State Street Global Advisors is second with 87 products and US$126.12 Bn, a 19.7% market share; followed by Vanguard with 39 products, assets of US$80.72 Bn and 12.6% market share at the end of October 2009.
• In the US, net sales of mutual funds (excluding ETFs) were minus US$47.1 Bn, while net sales of ETFs domiciled in the US were positive US$55.1Bn in the first eight months of 2009 according to Strategic Insight.
• Additionally, there were 137 other ETPs (Exchange Traded Products) with assets of US$78.86 Bn from 18 providers on 1 exchange.
• Combined, there were 869 products with assets of US$718.44 Bn from 39 providers on 3 exchanges in the US.
European ETF and ETP Industry 2009:
• European ETF assets have hit an all time high of US$206 bn at the end of October 2009 which is 0.6% above the previous all time high of US$204 bn set in Q3 2009 and 28.6% above the high of US$160 bn recorded in July 2008.
• At the end of October 2009 the European ETF industry had 801 ETFs with 2,001 listings, assets of $205.54 Bn, from 32 providers on 18 exchanges.
• 11 April 2009 marked the ninth anniversary of ETFs in Europe.
• YTD assets have risen by 44.2%, which is greater than the 25.5% rise in the MSCI Europe index in USD terms.
• YTD the number of ETFs increased by 26.7% with 193 new ETFs launched.
• YTD the number of exchanges with official listings decreased by three to 18.
• YTD the average daily trading volume in US dollar has increased by 34.0% to US$3.0 Bn. Most ETF trades are not required to be reported in Europe as ETFs are not covered by the European Union directive on markets in financial instruments (MiFID).
• iShares is the largest ETF provider in terms of both number of products, 168 ETFs, and assets of US$80.20 Bn, reflecting 39.0% market share; Lyxor Asset Management is second with 118 products and US$41.94 Bn, 20.4% market share; followed by db x-trackers with 113 ETFs and assets of US$34.53 Bn and 16.8% market share at the end of October 2009.
• In Europe net sales of mutual funds (excluding ETFs) were US$174.7 Bn while net sales of ETFs domiciled in Europe were US$23.6 Bn during the first eight months of 2009 according to Lipper FMI.
• Additionally, there were 150 other ETPs (Exchange Traded Products) with assets of US$17.96 Bn from 5 providers on 6 exchanges.
• Combined, there were 951 products with assets of US$223.51 Bn from 33 providers on 18 exchanges in Europe .
Source: ETF Research and Implementation Strategy Team, Blackrock
Gold price breaks through USD1,200/oz threshold
December 4, 2009-The spot gold price set a new record of USD1,217 per ounce in early London trade today as the US Dollar Index fell to its lowest level since early August 2008.
The price of gold has surged 25 per cent in the three months to 1 December 2009.
Gold denominated in JPY, CHF, EUR, GBP and AUD have also seen returns of between 15 per cent and 22 per cent over the same period.
Source: ETF Express
Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Global Markets Advisory Committee to Meet December 9, 2009
Committee to discuss global financial regulatory reform and bankruptcy issues.
December 9, 2009--The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will convene a meeting of its Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC) on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, to obtain the views of futures industry professionals and market participants on global financial regulatory reform and bankruptcy issues.
The Committee is comprised of individuals representing various U.S. and foreign exchanges, self-regulatory organizations, intermediaries, market users and traders, with extensive experience and expertise involving global futures markets issues. The Committee will also host David Wright from the European Commission to discuss issues of mutual importance to U.S. and European policy makers.
This will be the second meeting of the Committee under the leadership of Commissioner Jill E. Sommers, who the Commission appointed to chair the GMAC in February, 2008. “The Commission is very honored to be hosting Mr. Wright and hopes for a productive meeting involving many current issues of global importance,” said Commissioner Sommers.
The meeting is open to the public. The meeting will also be webcast via the internet and audio of the meeting will be available via a listen-only conference call.
What:Global Markets Advisory Committee meeting
Location: CFTC Headquarters lobby-level Hearing Room 1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20581
Date: December 9, 2009
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Viewing/Listening Information: The CFTC has made available the following options to access the meeting:
1. Watch a live broadcast of the meeting via webcast on www.cftc.gov.
2. Call in to a toll-free telephone line to connect to a live audio feed.
Call-in participants should be prepared to provide their first name, last name, and affiliation. Conference call information is listed below:
Domestic Toll Free: (866) 312-4390 International Toll: (404) 537-3379 The conference ID: 44518157 Call leader name: GMAC
Source: CFTC.gov
Component Changes Made To Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Titans 25 Index
December 3, 2009--Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, today announced that Sarawak Energy Bhd (Malaysia, Utilities, 2356.KU) will be removed from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Titans 25 Index.
Sarawak Energy Bhd (Malaysia, Utilities, 2356.KU) will be replaced by Maxis Bhd (Malaysia, Telecommunications, 6012.KU) in the Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Titans 25 Index.
Sarawak Energy Bhd is being removed due to its acquisition by Delegateam Sdn Bhd (noncomponent). All changes will be effective before the open of trading on Wednesday, December 9, 2009.
The Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Titans 25 Index measures the performance of the top 25 stocks in the Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Index, which comprises Malaysia-domiciled companies that pass rules-based screens for Shari'ah compliance.
Further information on the Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Titans 25 Index can be found at http://www.djindexes.com.
Company additions to and deletions from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Malaysia Titans 25 Index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the company.
Source: Dow Jones Indexes
IMF Aims at Building Stronger Post-Crisis Global Economy and International Monetary System
December 3, 2009--The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will continue to help bolster the nascent global economic recovery and build a stronger post-crisis world economy through its policy advice and by advancing the objectives for reform of the four Istanbul decisions: the Fund’s mandate; its financing role; multilateral surveillance; and governance.
The work program discussed by the Fund's Executive Board, as outlined below, aims to achieve these objectives.
“While the Fund has been able to meet the crisis with a range of innovative responses, the formal mandate of the Fund may not fully capture what is now expected of an effective guardian of global macro-financial stability,” IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss Kahn told the Executive Board during discussion of the Work Program. “This work program is ambitious and achievable and, in any event, necessary. The Fund’s ability to deliver the demanding tasks assigned to it has been a key to its ability to help countries address the crisis and we must keep up the momentum.”
View the Statement by the Managing Director on the Work Program of the Executive Board
Source: IMF
Average Daily Volume of 9.4 Million Contracts at Eurex and ISE in November
December 2, 2009--At the international derivatives markets of Eurex, an average daily volume of 9.4 million contracts was traded in November 2009; y-o-y the figure was 10.4 million. This year’s figure splits into 6.3 million contracts traded at Eurex (Nov 2008: 7.0 million) and 3.1 million contracts were traded at the International Securities Exchange (ISE) (Nov 2008: 3.4 million). In November, a total of 193.0 million contracts were traded on both exchanges, thereof Eurex with 131.9 million and ISE with 61.1 million, compared with 140.5 million contracts at Eurex and 65.2 million at ISE y-o-y. In the previous month October 2009, Eurex had 141.6 million contracts, ISE another 87.2 million.
At Eurex, the equity index derivatives segment recorded the highest turnover, totaling 64.0 million contracts, compared with 79.7 million y-o-y. Thereof, 25.2 million contracts were traded in the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50® index future and 24.1 million contracts in the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 index option. Strong demand was observed in the DAX® index option with 9.7 million contracts, the DAX-Future totaled 3.2 million contracts. Trading volume in equity derivatives (equity options and single stock futures) grew and accounted for 29.1 million contracts (Nov 2008: 26.4 million), thereof equity options with 25.3 million and single stock futures with 3.8 million contracts.
The interest rate derivatives segment grew by 12 percent and reached 38.5 million contracts compared with 34.3 million y-o-y. The Euro Bund Future totaled 15.3 million contracts, the Euro Bobl Future 8.7 million contracts and the Euro Schatz Future 10.7 million contracts. The Euro BTP future totaled more than 77,000 contracts, a similar level like in October 2009.
Eurex Repo, which operates CHF- and EUR repo markets, grew slightly and accounted an average outstanding volume of €149.2 billion (Nov 2008: €144.1 billion). The secured money market segment GC Pooling continued to grow with a rate of 60 percent y-o-y, average outstanding volume reached €80.4 billion (Nov 2008: €50.2 billion). The whole EUR Repo segment grew by 26 percent and totaled €103.3 billion (Nov 2008: €81.8 billion).
The electronic trading platform Eurex Bonds, which rounds out Eurex’s fixed-income product range, saw a volume of €9.2 billion (single counted) in November, compared with €7.8 billion in November last year (an increase of 18 percent) and €7.0 billion in October 2009 (an increase of 31 percent).
Source: Eurex
