Barclays

The demand for global fixed income ETFs in China is growing and Barclays is helping to make a launch of these funds a reality. Though China does not currently allow fund managers to offer this type of ETF, the press release reports that Barclays has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shanghai Stock Exchange. [...]

Investors may be gaining ground in the post-financial crisis stock market, but those who bet that the volatility would continue have lost their shirt. While the markets soared, volatility disappeared. The iPath S&P500 Vix Short-Term Futures ETN (VXX: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News) has virtually collapsed, losing investors 36% of their investments year-to-date. Thus far, [...]

State Street has blanketed the fixed income ETF space with a new filing with the SEC for seven funds. The new ETFs will cover some of the most popular fixed-income products currently trading on the stock exchanges. The seven new ETFs are as follows: 1. SPDR S&P Agency Bond ETF 2. SPDR Barclays Capital Corporate [...]

Exchange-traded funds are headed to college. Financial advisers are rapidly adding ETFs to cookie-cutter 529 investment plans to offer diversification inexpensively to the next generation of college graduates. Most 529 investment plans are still sold by financial planners, who may or may not pass on the inexpensive benefits of ETFs to their clients. However, the [...]

Brokers, frustrated with sky-high management prices on hedge funds, are sending their high net worth clientele towards ETFs. Barclays is one of the main drivers of growth for ETFs, creating an entire business around actively-managed ETF portfolios for wealthy investors. Barclays Wealth, a new arm of Barclays Global Investors, hires managers who oversee client portfolios [...]

Rather than create leveraged ETFs, banks are finding it easier to create structured products that leverage investments on the investor’s end, instead of leveraging on the ETF’s end. The new products, which stand to benefit from poor publicity surrounding leveraged ETFs, are more like exchange-traded notes than ETFs. JP Morgan has introduced a new structured [...]

In response to regulations, Barclays Global Investors will halt new share creation units in the iShares S&P GSCI Commodity Indexed Trust (GSG: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News). The closure is likely to affect the fund’s pricing, which already trades at a slight premium due to extreme demand for commodities. The fund currently holds positions in [...]

CTFC regulations are expected to impact $10 billion in investor assets, or 1.6% of the entire US exchange-traded fund market. In light of these new regulations, another ETF has closed its doors to new investors. The iPath Dow Jones-UBS Natural Gas Total Return Sub-Index ETN (GAZ: Quote, Profile, Advanced Chart, News) will cease the issuance [...]

Fidelity is known for its mutual funds, but the rumor mill still speculated that the company would be a probable bidder for iShares earlier this summer. To clarify its ETF stance, Fidelity has issued a statement indicating that it does not plan to grow its ETF business. Fidelity’s only ETF, the Fidelity NASDAQ Composite Index [...]

iShares will soon expand its market of exchange-traded funds to Chile, creating local entities while simultaneously bringing a number of US-listed ETFs to the exchange. The products will be cross listed, similar to ADR listings on the New York Stock Exchange. iShares is a leader in international exchange traded funds, bringing all the major markets [...]