Easy ETF Shuts Down a Pair of ETFs
EasyETF is closing down two ETFs in December. BNP Paribas (BNP), the provider’s parent company, will delist the EasyETF South Africa FTSE/JSE Top 40 (EEA) and EasyETF EuroMTS EONIA (EON) from the Borsa Italiana, Deutsche Borse and Euronext Paris on December 10. Investors in the funds have until then to sell their interest, or they can choose to wait until December 15 to receive the funds' net asset value on that date. Currently, the South African ETF has about EUR 5.5 million in assets, while the money market ETF has nearly EUR 17 million in AUM.
New Listings
Xact Fonder launched a new commodity ETF on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The Xact Ravaror fund tracks the performance of the SHB Commodity Index Excess Return index, which tracks the performance of 15 commodities spanning from widely traded ones like oil and gold, to more niche ones like electricity, pulp and paper--which reflect the fund's Nordic focus. The other commodities included are gasoline, diesel, copper, aluminium, zinc, nickel, silver, soybeans, wheat, cattle and pork. The management fee on the fund will be up to 0.90% annually.
HSBC (HSBA) launched its first ETF on the Deutsche Borse. The HSBC FTSE 100 ETF levies a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.35%. HSBC has plans to launch additional ETFs on the Deutsche Borse, tracking MSCI indices for Brazil, Japan, the U.S., Europe, and emerging markets, as well as an S&P 500 and EURO STOXX 50 ETF.
Source launched an ETF offering exposure to small-capitalisation equities on the Deutsche Borse. The fund tracks the performance of the MSCI EMU Small Cap Total Return index, which offers exposure to the shares of 568 companies from the Eurozone. The fund’s TER is 0.40%. Index constituents may have a market capitalisation of up to EUR 3.5 billion. For more on the potential benefits of introducing small capitalisation equities to a portfolio, please read our recent article on the subject.
ComStage launched four new ETFs on the Deutsche Borse. The four funds are variations of the Commerzbank Bund-Future Strategy Index, including a leveraged, short and double-short ETF. The Euro-Bund Future is the most liquid futures contract in Europe, and varies with the interest rate on ten-year government bonds. The TER on each ETF is 0.20% annually.
Best and Worst Performers for the week of October 11-15
Chinese equities were the big winners for the week, as rising property prices and good news in the financial sector allayed investor concerns over a potential bubble in the Chinese economy. Published reports indicated that real estate prices increased by 0.5% month-over-month on average in September, and the value of property sales increased 56%. Silver also had a good week, as its value increased partially due to weakness in the US dollar, as well as due to a favourable report from Goldman Sachs.
The healthcare sector bucked the upward trend in the broader Chinese market, posting a losing week. Other poor performers included products linked to the S&P 500 volatility index, which generally performs inversely to the S&P 500. ETCs tracking energy-related commodities like oil and natural gas also suffered losses. Oil prices were hurt by reports of weaker-than-expected demand in the US, and natural gas production and inventories remain elevated--keeping a lid on prices. The US financial sector also underperformed as concerns rose over banks’ mishandling of foreclosure proceedings.