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ETF Securities Passes $4.5 Billion in U.S. Assets Under Management and $30 Billion Worldwide
September 14, 2011--ETF Securities USA LLC (ETFS) today announced that the total assets under management (AUM) of its U.S.-listed products is now $4.7 billion, which represents 15% of the firm's new total of roughly $31 billion in AUM worldwide as at the end of August 2011.
"ETF Securities entered the U.S. market in July 2009 and we have exceeded $4.5 billion in AUM in just over two years," said William Rhind1, Managing Director at ETF Securities (US) LLC based in New York, NY. "We are delighted with the progress we are making in the United States and hope to expand our presence here with a new range of exchange-traded products."
.-Listed PPLT Now Largest
The company also today announced that its Physical Platinum Shares (PPLT) is now the world's largest physically-backed Platinum ETP in terms of AUM, which stood at $886 million on August 31, 2011. This figure represents roughly 480,000 ounces of platinum stored in secure vaults located in London, U.K. and Zurich, Switzerland.
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Source: ETF Securities
J.P. Morgan Selected by FFCM to Provide Fund Services and Prime Custody for the Launch of its Market-Neutral Equity ETFs
September 14, 2011– J.P. Morgan announced today that it has been selected by investment management firm FFCM LLC to provide a suite of securities services, including fund administration, fund accounting and custody, along with prime custody services, for its newly launched family of equity ETFs, QuantShares.
The QuantShares ETFs will be “market neutral,” holding both long and short positions in approximately equal dollar amounts. They are among the first ETFs that will engage in shorting physical securities. FFCM LLC has also chosen J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp. as prime broker for four of its seven new funds.
“We are pleased to be launching these funds that will leverage J.P. Morgan’s ETF servicing with its prime custody solutions,” said Bill DeRoche, founding member of FFCM LLC, the Boston-based investment adviser to QuantShares. “Our decision to partner with J.P. Morgan reflects our confidence in their ability to support us across this multi-faceted and diverse set of strategies.”
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Source: About JPMorgan Chase & Co.
SEC review takes the lustre off Reits shares
September 14, 2011--A move by regulators to review rules governing real estate investment groups in the US has sparked concerns over an important source of mortgage funding.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking at whether Real Estate Investment Trusts, or Reits, should enjoy a special status that has allowed them to take more risk than typical investment funds.
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Source: FT.com
Exchange Traded Spreads Trust has filed with the SEC
September 14, 2011--Exchange Traded Spreads Trust has filed a pre-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the ETS BOCHK Offshore RMB Bond Index ETF.
view filing
Source: SEC.gov
OIC Announces Updated Study Shows Buy-Write Strategy Outperforms Buy-And-Hold
September 14, 2011-- The Options Industry Council (OIC) today announced results and analysis of the performance of a buy-write strategy on the Russell 2000®, which found that over the 15 year period covered in the study (including the periods before, during and after the credit crisis), the buy-write strategy provided a higher return than a long RUT portfolio while reducing risk by almost 17%.
In the study, “15 Years of the Russell 2000 Buy-Write,” Nikunj Kapadia and Edward Szado from the University of Massachusetts looked at the performance of data from February 1, 1996 to March 31, 2011, concluding that a passive buy-write strategy of one month to expiration calls on the Russell 2000 consistently outperformed the index. Over 182 months, the 2% out-of-the-money buy-write returned 263% (8.87% annually), compared to the return on the RUT of 226% (8.11% annually). Furthermore, the annualized standard deviation for the entire period on the buy-write portfolio was 16.57%, almost 4 ½ percentage points lower than for the RUT portfolio.
This is an update to one in a series of studies intended for institutional investors which evaluate the performance of different options strategies on different contracts over specific time periods. By supporting these studies in conjunction with well-respected research and educational institutions, OIC remains committed to its mission of providing education and research to institutional investors. With options volume on a growth trend in recent years, these studies show the importance of options in attaining investment goals.
view the Risk Reducing & Income Enhancing Buy-Write Strategy-
15 Years of the Russell 2000® Buy-Write
Source: Options Industry Council (OIC)
PowerShares files with the SEC
September 14, 2011-PowerShares has filed a post-effective amendment, registration statement with the SEC for the PowerShares S&P International Developed High Beta Portfolio (IDHB)
PowerShares S&P International Developed Low Volatility Portfolio (IDLV)
PowerShares S&P Emerging Markets High Beta Portfolio (EEHB)
PowerShares S&P Emerging Markets Low Volatility Portfolio (EELV)
view filing
Source: SEC.gov
Standard & Poor's Announces Changes In The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index
September 14, 2011--Standard & Poor's will make the following changes in the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index after the close of trading on Wednesday, September 14, 2011:
Mountain-West Resources Inc. (TSXVN:MWR) will be removed from the index
The common shares of the company will be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange at the request of the company.
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.
Source: Standard & Poor's
MSCI Launches New Barra Equity Models
New Barra US Equity Model (USE4) helps portfolio managers get a better understanding of their sources of risk and return
September 14, 2011--MSCI Inc., a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, including indices, portfolio risk and performance analytics and corporate governance services , announced today the launch of the first in a family of new Barra Equity Models - Barra US Equity Model (USE4).
Barra USE4 includes the latest advances in risk methodology, providing institutional investors with the ability to align factor structure with their investment processes, and improve responsiveness and accuracy.
Key advances in Barra USE4 include:
Eigenfactor Risk Adjustment adjusts the covariance matrix and improves risk forecasts for optimized portfolios. Forecasting bias is removed from the factor covariance matrix by scaling up where risk is under-forecast, and scaling down where risk is over-forecast.
Volatility Regime Adjustment calibrates factor volatilities to current market levels. The model responds quicker to market trends by reducing the under-prediction of risk when entering a regime of increased volatility and the over-prediction of risk when exiting a period of elevated volatility.
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Source: MSCI
Horizons Launches New U.S. and International Enhanced Income ETFs
September 14, 2011--Jovian Capital Corporation and its subsidiaries Horizons Exchange Traded Funds Inc. and AlphaPro Management Inc. are pleased to announce the launch of the Horizons Enhanced Income US Equity (USD) ETF ("Horizons HEA.U") and the Horizons Enhanced Income International Equity ETF. Each of the ETFs offers Canadian investors access to an innovative covered call strategy on U.S. and International stocks, respectively.
Both ETFs will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") under the below ticker symbols with both a Class E unit and an Advisor Class unit.
Name of ETF | TSX Ticker Symbol | |
Class E Units |
Advisor Class Units |
|
Horizons Enhanced Income US Equity (USD) ETF | HEA.U | HEA.V |
Horizons Enhanced Income International Equity ETF | HEJ | HEJ.A |
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Source: Jovian Capital Corporation
Horizons Launches New U.S. and International Enhanced Income ETFs
September 14, 2011--Jovian Capital Corporation and its subsidiaries Horizons Exchange Traded Funds Inc. and AlphaPro Management Inc. are pleased to announce the launch of the Horizons Enhanced Income US Equity (USD) ETF ("Horizons HEA.U") and the Horizons Enhanced Income International Equity ETF. Each of the ETFs offers Canadian investors access to an innovative covered call strategy on U.S. and International stocks, respectively.
Both ETFs will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") under the below ticker symbols with both a Class E unit and an Advisor Class unit.
Name of ETF | TSX Ticker Symbol | |
Class E Units |
Advisor Class Units |
|
Horizons Enhanced Income US Equity (USD) ETF | HEA.U | HEA.V |
Horizons Enhanced Income International Equity ETF | HEJ | HEJ.A |
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Source: Jovian Capital Corporation