New Listings
Finansbank launched a unique two-country ETF on the Athens Stock Exchange (denominated in Euros) and the Istanbul Stock Exchange (denominated in Turkish lira). The ETF tracks the performance of the GT-30, an index which includes 15 stocks from Greece and 15 from Turkey, and is weighted by free-float market capitalisation.
Barclays was busy expanding the reach of its volatility-based ETNs this past week. The bank launched the iPath VStoxx Short-Term Futures Total Return ETN (which tracks the performance of the Eurostoxx 50 Volatility Short-Term Futures Total Return index) on the Borsa Italiana, making it the first volatility-linked product to trade in Italy. The bank also launched a new Mid-Term Futures ETN on both the London Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: VSXY) and the Deutsche Borse. The difference between the two ETNs is that the Mid-Term Futures ETN tracks the performance of EURO STOXX 50 futures that are four-to-seven months out. The ETNs charge a total expense ratio of 0.89%.
Best and Worst Performers For the Week of November 1-5
The commodities space dominated the list of top performing ETPs last week. At the top of the table were two cotton-tracking products, as cotton prices touched all-time highs due to a combination of constrained supplies (stemming from flooding and export restrictions), as well as relatively robust global demand.
Once again, the worst performers for the week were led by volatility futures ETNs and ETFs. Both the short- and mid-term S&P 500 VIX futures decreased sharply in price, as did volatility futures based on the EURO STOXX 50. A few country-specific equity ETFs also had weeks they'd rather forget, including Greece for the second week in a row. Sovereign debt concerns in the Eurozone periphery are not fading away. Finally, natural gas prices were weak after being among the previous week's best performers. Fundamental conditions affecting natural gas spot prices largely have not changed; spot prices have been dropping amid increased supply and mild temperatures, and the future prices have followed.