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CBOE Introduces "VIX of VIX" Benchmark Index: Provides a Gauge for Measuring Volatility of the VIX Index Itself
March 14, 2012--The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) announced today that it began publishing values for the CBOE "VIX of VIX" Index (ticker: VVIX(SM)) this morning.
As its name implies, the CBOE's VIX of VIX Index tracks the volatility of the CBOE Volatility Index (the VIX Index), the world's most widely-followed market volatility index.
"Volatility traders are intrigued with the ability to formulate new strategies based on the relationship between the VIX Index and the volatility of the VIX Index," CBOE Chairman and CEO William J. Brodsky said. "The fact that our customers were looking for a way to measure the volatility of the VIX shows just how far the VIX Index has come. We're thrilled to introduce a product that tracks the volatility of the world's most- watched volatility index."
VVIX reflects the market's consensus of expected volatility of the 30-day forward price of the VIX Index and provides new information for investors looking to formulate trading strategies based on the relationship between the VIX® Index and the volatility of the VIX Index.
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Source: CBOE
CFTC to Hold Open Meeting to Consider One Final Rule
March 13, 2012--The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, at 9:30 a.m., to consider one Final Rule: Customer Clearing Documentation, Timing of Acceptance for Clearing, and Clearing Member Risk Management.
What: Open meeting to consider one final rule under the Dodd-Frank Act
Where: CFTC Headquarters Conference center, Three Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20851
When: Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 9:30 a.m.
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Source: CFTC.gov
CFTC Vacates CME Clearing Europe Limited Registration as a Derivatives Clearing Organization
March 13, 2012--At the request of CME Clearing Europe Limited (CMECEL), pursuant to Section 7 of the Commodity Exchange Act, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued an Order on March 13, 2012,
vacating the registration of CMECEL as a derivatives clearing organization.
The Order of Vacation is available on the CFTC’s website (see Related Links).
Source: CFTC.gov
Yorkville Launches Industry First High Income MLP ETF (YMLP)
Focuses On High Distribution Commodity MLPs, No Overlap with Existing MLP ETF
March 13, 2012--Yorkville ETF Advisors announces the Yorkville High Income MLP ETF begins trading today, becoming the first exchange-traded fund to deliver exposure to high income, commodity-based master limited partnerships (MLPs).
The firm's extensive research and asset management experience in MLPs was the basis of this first to market product. YMLP was developed to capture the investment opportunity in commodity sector MLPs, which historically have provided higher yields and faster distribution growth than the more popular infrastructure sector, according to Yorkville Capital Management, LLC.
"YMLP shatters today's MLP ETF mold by intentionally focusing on the untapped commodity sectors of the MLP asset class, due to their favorable income characteristics," asserts Darren Schuringa, CFA, Managing Partner at Yorkville ETF Advisors. "The Yorkville High Income MLP ETF (YMLP) is designed to track the Solactive High Income MLP Index, which strives to deliver high income and growth of income. We are pleased that YMLP delivers on our commitment to provide investment strategy-based ETFs."
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Source: Yorkville ETF Advisors, LLC
Morgan Stanley-US ETF Weekly Update
March 13, 2012--Weekly Flows: $1.8 Billion Net Inflows
ETF Assets Stand at $1.2 Trillion, up 12% YTD
One ETF Launch Last Week
No News Items Last Week
US-Listed ETFs: Estimated Flows by Market Segment
ETFs generated net inflows for the third consecutive week ($1.8 bln last week)
Net inflows last week were led by US Small- & Micro-Cap ETFs ($1.3 bln net inflows), while US Sector & Industry ETFs posted
the largest net outflows ($1.3 bln net outflows)
ETF assets stand at $1.2 tln, up 12% YTD; ETFs have posted only one week of net outflows YTD
13-week flows were mostly positive among asset classes; combined $48.5 bln net inflows
Fixed Income ETFs have consistently generated weekly net inflows (30 straight weeks of net inflows)
Currency ETFs have exhibited the largest net outflows over the past 13 weeks; market cap has declined about 18% over thepast 13 weeks
US-Listed ETFs: Estimated Largest Flows by Individual ETF
iShares Russell 2000 Index Fund (IWM) posted net inflows of $1.6 bln last week, the most of any ETF
IWM’s net inflows last week followed a stretch of 3 straight weekly net outflows ($2.8 bln in net outflows over that period)
The SPDR Barclays Capital High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) posted net outflows for the first time in 15 weeks; high yield bond
ETFs have been one of the beneficiaries of the "risk on" trade and yield chasing
US-Listed ETFs: Short Interest
Data Updated: Based on data as of 2/29/12
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) posted the largest increase in USD short interest for the 2nd consecutive period
Despite SPY’s increase in shares short, SPY’s shares short are still well below their all-time high reached on 9/15/11
ProShares Ultra Silver (AGQ) posted the largest drop in USD short interest since last updated; AGQ’s decline is noteworthy
because it only has a market cap of $915 million (typically larger funds account for the biggest changes in this exhibit)
Financials-focused ETFs make up 3 of the 10 most heavily shorted ETFs (shares short/shares outstanding)
The average shares short/shares outstanding for ETFs is currently 5%
Based on multiple borrowings and the ability to continuously create new shares, short interest as a % of market cap can exceed 100%
US-Listed ETFs: Most Successful Recent Launches by Assets
Source: Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Research. Data estimated as of 3/9/12 based on daily change in share counts and daily NAVs.
$8.1 billion in total market cap of ETFs less than 1-year old
Over the past 13 weeks, newly launched US Dividend Income ETFs generated most net inflows at $725 mln
65 new ETF listings and 8 closures YTD; at this point last year, only 35 ETFs had come to market
Over past year, many of the successful launches have an income/dividend orientation
6 different ETF sponsors and 2 asset classes represented in top 10 most successful launches
Northern Trust has 3 ETFs that occupy the list of the top 10 most successful launches over the past year (FlexShares ETFs)
Top 10 most successful launches account for 60% of market cap of ETFs launched over the past year
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Source: Morgan Stanley
SEI Selected To Provide Operational Outsourcing For New Turnkey ETF Platform Offered By Exchange Traded Concepts
Company’s Distribution and Operational Depth Critical Part of New Platform to Help Managers Quickly Launch ETFs
March 13, 2012--SEI today announced that it has been selected by Exchange Traded Concepts (ETC) to provide a comprehensive suite of back-office services for the firm’s recently launched turnkey ETF platform.
SEI will be the distribution and operational engine behind the ETC platform, which is designed to help investment managers enter the growing ETF market quickly without the large capital expenditure typically associated with building an institutional-quality infrastructure.
Yorkville ETF Advisors, LLC will be the first firm to launch an ETF, the Yorkville High Income MLP ETF, on ETC’s platform. SEI will provide operational outsourcing for Yorkville ETF Advisors, LLC and subsequent managers who launch on ETC’s platform. SEI will also provide ETC with a complete outsourcing solution that includes back-office services such as fund administration, fund accounting, and investor servicing, and offer an index receipt agency and custody solutions. Leveraging off its significant market share, SEI will also provide distribution services, daily and monthly portfolio measurement, and authorized participant (AP) processing in a straight-through electronic processing environment. SEI’s flexible infrastructure, its deep ETF sector expertise, and trading support for over 55 percent of the U.S. ETF market were highlighted as the key decision factors in ETC’s selection.
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Source: SEI
State Street Launches Media Center for Key Economic and Market Sentiment Indicators
March 13, 2012--State Street Global Markets, the investment research and trading arm of State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT), today announced the launch of an online media research center that will provide timely access to select economic indicators including inflation indices for the US and Argentina and global investor confidence.
The new website will function as a media resource for direct access to the State Street PriceStats Inflation Indices for the United States and Argentina, available on a daily basis as well as State Street’s monthly Investor Confidence Index for North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. The Argentina Index was the inaugural country specific inflation indicator developed by PriceStats in 2007; and beginning on February 25th, the Economist magazine began incorporating it into their weekly summary of country economic statistics in place of the Argentine government’s official Consumer Price Index (CPI) releases. The US Inflation index has also proven to anticipate short-term trends in inflation.
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Source: State Street Corporation
ISE Files to Trade Options on ISE MAX SPY
ISE to List Options on ISE Max SPY Index
New Cash-Settled Option Product Tracks Most Popular ETF
March 13, 2012-The International Securities Exchange (ISE) announced today that it has filed for approval with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list options on the ISE Max SPY Index, a new proprietary index that represents ten times the value of the SPDR S&P500 ETF Trust (SPY).
Currently, options on SPY are the most actively traded contract in the options industry, with average daily volume of 2 million contracts on a year-to-date basis. Options on the ISE MAX SPY Index will build upon the success of SPY options by offering a large-sized, European-style option that is cash-settled, characteristics which appeal to the institutional segment of the market.
Gary Katz, ISE’s President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “ISE led the industry to introduce options trading on SPY, which grew to become the most popular options product ever. We believe options on the ISE Max SPY index are an equally exciting product that offer an alternative for institutional traders who are seeking exposure to the SPY but prefer to trade an index option that has a higher notional value and settles in cash instead of the traditional ETF option that settles in shares.”
ISE plans to offer competitive fees for options on the ISE Max SPY that are aligned with other index options products listed on the exchange.
The product and associated fees are both subject to regulatory clearance.
Source: International Securities Exchange (ISE)
ISE Publishes Optimise Performance Metrics
March 13, 2012--The International Securities Exchange (ISE) announced that current median latency for its Optimise trading system equals 250 microseconds. This represents a reduction of approximately 39% since the completion of the Optimise rollout in August 2011.
Significantly, ISE has reduced the latency tail so that 90% of all quotes submitted to the system are acknowledged within 340 microseconds, representing a 45% reduction in the past six months.
ISE is also now publishing its latency statistics for Optimise on a new, dedicated webpage, www.ise.com/latencystats. The latest statistics are measured and reported via the CorvilNet performance monitoring solution, which was implemented in February 2012. As part of ISE’s commitment to continually enhance its leading technology platform, the statistics will be updated approximately every two months, following each new technology release.
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Source: International Securities Exchange (ISE)
Standard & Poor's Announces Changes In The S&P/TSX Canadian Indices
March 13, 2012--Standard & Poor's will make the following changes in the S&P/TSX Canadian Indices:
The shareholders of RuggedCom Inc. (TSX:RCM) have accepted the $CDN33.00 cash per share offer from Siemens Canada Limited.
RuggedCom will be removed from the S&P/TSX SmallCap, Equity SmallCap and Clean Technology Indices effective after the close of Wednesday, March 21, 2012.
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
