The latest news on ETFs SEC decision on leveraged ETFs sparks concern; China and Hong Kong ETF markets grow closer SEC decision on leveraged ETFs sparks concern for retail investorsSEC commissioners reveal sharp disagreements on move to abandon proposed controls US SEC opens door to more leveraged ETFsPre-clearance requirement removed for exchange traded funds using up to two times leverage Taiwan asset owner pre-emptively terminates Vanguard mandateMove comes after US manager signals it planned to pull out China and Hong Kong ETF markets grow closer with feeders launchThe vehicles link Hong Kong and mainland Chinese asset managers Demand for cheaper vehicles buoys creation of ETF strategies Cost cutting is paramount as mutual funds lose appeal, report finds European bank ETFs lose out as investors flock to US counterpartsSustained negative rates in the region cited as main reason for divergent fortunes More from this Series Vanguard active fund closure highlights challenge in EuropeLow-cost provider’s passive fund growth is vastly outpacing its actively managed business Vanguard exit from China state fund mandates prompts speculationMove coincides with decision to move regional HQ to Shanghai Chile’s pension funds join global gold ETP rush Rule change adds the products to the list of permitted alternative assets SEC plan to cut fund disclosures faces almost unanimous oppositionHigher threshold for reporting stock holdings would benefit activist investors, US markets regulator told BlackRock plans huge expansion in Brazilian ETF marketAsset manager aims to cross-list up to 100 overseas funds by end of March Funds’ hidden currency costs run to hundreds of millions of dollars New analysis suggests investors continue to overpay for forex trades Cryptocurrency ETFs under active consideration, says SEC chair ‘Tokenisation’ would allow a crypto asset to represent single securities like ETFs JPMorgan Asset Management plans ESG ETFs for Asian clientsFresh direction for investment house that currently offers no pure ESG funds in any market Better stock selection boosted ESG funds, research suggestsNine of the 10 largest sustainable ETFs and mutual funds outperformed in H1 Global ETF inflows surge 40% amid ‘tectonic shift’Investor inflows jump to $488bn in first nine months of 2020 UK active managers fail to prove their mettle in a bear marketOnly half of stock pickers outperformed in 2020’s volatile markets BlackRock S&P 500 fund is Europe’s biggest equity ETF loser in third quarterThe outflows from the physical fund help explain the decision to launch ‘synthetic’ version Vanguard faces roboadviser competition from Chinese partnerAnt Group signals wish to expand beyond its joint venture platform BlackRock ETF thrusts climate change into political sphereCoal-reliant Germany falls foul of first environmentally-weighted sovereign bond fund BlackRock criticised over drop in climate votesRivals including JPMorgan are increasingly backing environmental resolutions at annual meetings Hunt for answer to bond blues turns to active ETFsInvestors seek to mitigate a world of low returns from fixed income LGIM to unveil new climate change risk measuresUK’s largest asset manager builds model designed to assess financial effects of global warming Avoiding ‘sin stocks’ is no longer enough for ESG ETFsManagers are switching to positive screening for investments with good credentials BlackRock performs volte-face with swap-based equity ETFThe world’s largest asset manager has launched a synthetic ETF after years spent criticising the structure Questions raised over Asian ETFs in unyielding marketDespite the industry’s popularity in the west, financial hubs in Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul fail to be won over Bloomberg poised to become third largest ETF index providerThe $90bn attracted to its benchmarks this year dwarfs that of MSCI and S&P Dow Jones First actively managed sharia-compliant ETF to list in LondonFund will invest in companies with low leverage, ethical practices and good governance FTSE gives China bonds green light for influential indexDecision could lure $140bn into country’s government debt as investors hunt for yield Vanguard bolstered by ETF sales amid mutual fund outflowsAsset manager’s $4.4tn long-term mutual funds range bled $41bn in year to end of August, Morningstar data show Leveraged ETP popularity raises gambling risk, experts warnInflows have surged to $20.6bn, sparking concerns investors will suffer amplified losses CSOP aims to scoop huge foreign investment with China bond ETFFund will start trading ahead of anticipated inclusion of China in WGBI bond index New Cabana ETF range will launch with more than $1bn in assets Products’ huge boost comes from existing clients who chose to switch to ETF format BlackRock to jump on Hang Seng Tech Index bandwagon with new ETFThe iShares product is set to launch on Thursday and follows CSOP’s record-setting debut Amundi closes 11 France-domiciled ETFsEach of the closed funds had assets below €20m at the end of June Gold rush points to structural shiftSentiment is likely to remain favourable as long as deficits continue to rise Stockpickers fight back by modifying the design of ETFsInvestment industry faces test as fees and inconsistent performance drive a shift in focus US-China trade war threatens passive investorsCalls are growing for the adoption of strategies that exclude China ESG surges as investors search for better corporate citizensPandemic puts spotlight on need to tackle ills such as climate change, income inequality and diversity Investors salve pandemic wounds with gold in flight to safetyCoronavirus crisis has driven a rush for the millennia-old store of value How best to invest for BrexitFinance experts look at the options as the risk of a no-deal remains high Subscale markets ‘coming of age’ push ETF growth in AsiaJapan, China, Taiwan and South Korea are on the rise at a breakneck pace BlackRock and Vanguard look set to extend dominance to active ETFsSurvey finds institutional investors prefer them over the leading active ETF managers Wall Street bids a not-so-fond farewell to exchange traded notesThe unloved cousins of the ETF have been criticised for being riskier than they appear ETF assets reach $7tn milestone Investors have ploughed $428bn in new cash into exchange traded products so far this year Simple trick can deliver outperformance in emerging markets ETFsAvoiding state-owned enterprises has helped generate double-digit returns for two funds Roboadvisers make slow progress gaining ground with investorsUse of robos is highest among millennials and Generation X households Inside ETFsThe FT has teamed up with ETF specialist TrackInsight to bring you independent and reliable data alongside our essential news and analysis of everything from market trends and new issues, to risk management and advice on constructing your portfolio Niche ETFs provide investment route to future trendsA basket of stocks investing in a particular theme could help provide diversification How to separate the good from the bad and ugly ESG fundsEven oil majors can achieve good environmental, social and governance scores in some rankings What we learnt from fixed-income ETFs during the Covid sell-offSome of the biggest corporate bond funds traded at large discounts to net asset value ESG bond funds held back by fear of criticising US, research suggestsConcern that evaluating western governments’ debt is pushing managers into politics Equity fund managers dump banks for software stocksStock pickers have increased exposure to sector from 5.1% at start of 2020 to 6.4%, research finds ETFs set to usurp active funds in world of ethical investingShift to passive would be a body blow to traditional ESG investment approach US ETF employees earn 60% more than European counterpartsTotal pay is an average of $392,000 compared to $242,000 earned in Europe Can active fund managers deliver higher returns than ETFs?Despite the lure of beating the index, for every winner there is a loser and higher costs can erode gains Saudi SWF pours $4.7bn into State Street ETFsMove comes after similar decision by US Federal Reserve, which has $8.7bn in ETFs Assets in ESG exchange traded funds and products top $100bn July total of $101bn reached after net inflows of $6.76bn SEC puts US Oil Fund on notice over investor disclosuresRegulator’s staff likely to recommend action over fund’s manoeuvres as crude prices crashed in spring China squeezes diversification out of MSCI’s EM equities nest Three countries in Asia now account for almost two-thirds of MSCI benchmark ‘Downbeat’ US executives dump most stock in a month since 2015Record-breaking equity rally encourages company executives to cash in Chinese managers apply to launch first Hang Seng Tech index ETFsThe new index includes Chinese tech giants such as Tencent, Alibaba and Meituan ETF joins world’s biggest gold owners as investors flock inState Street fund holds more of the precious metal than some central banks as price passes $2,000
