Boost ETP, a leading provider of short and leveraged exchange-traded products, has released its latest ‘Short & Leveraged ETFs/ETPs Global Flows Report’. The report, which is summarised below, highlights the key flows and trends in short and leveraged ETPs across asset classes and geographies in August 2014.

Viktor Nossek, Head of Research at Boost.

Equities

Short and leveraged (S&L) investor sentiment in equities was mixed in August. At the same time that bearish repositioning drove a large scale unwinding of long positions in US equities, across European equities repositioning was bullish, with creations of long positions coming on the back of redemptions in short positions.

The stark contrast of repositioning between US and European equities is likely driven by a contrarian stance taken by S&L investors amidst the crisis in Ukraine: the new highs attained by the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 during August may have compelled S&L investors to cut their exposures there while increasing them in sluggish performing benchmarks, notably the Euro Stoxx 50, Dax 30, and FTSE 100.

Opportunistic positioning around markets most prone to the war between Ukraine and Russia was evident in the bullish stance on German and Russian equity markets. For instance, the $190 million of net long notional flows (inflows less outflows adjusted for ETPs’ leverage factor) in August of S&L ETPs tracking German benchmarks such as the Dax 30 were the most bullish in Europe. At the same time, Russia’s rouble denominated stock market Micex has fallen hard this year and coming close to bear market territory is giving S&L investors ammunition to take a contrarian stance and tactically reposition bullishly. The $31 million of inflows into S&L ETPs tracking Russian equities were the largest within European equity markets, predominantly driven by creations of long positions.

Fixed Income 

On German debt S&L investors’ stance was markedly bearish, most likely on the back of perceptions that the yields on German Bunds haven fallen too much. With German government debt yielding less than 1% on 10-year maturities and yielding negatively on 2 year maturities, S&L investors have turned markedly bearish on German debt. Following $81 million creations of short positions in August, the cumulative inflows into short ETPs tracking German debt this year so far have steadily risen to $425 million.

Despite contracting in the first quarter, evidence of the US economy remaining robust in the second quarter as estimates for annualised growth were revised upwards (to 4.2% from 4.0% initially) is likely to have caused a mixed picture of S&L investor sentiment on US debt. Lacking conviction, the $394 million inflows into long ETPs coincided with $291 inflows into short ETPs.

Commodities

S&L investor sentiment in commodities was underscored by bullish repositioning in energy. After the sharp fall in oil prices in July and weakening further in the first and second week of August, S&L investors repositioned around rising oil prices with a strong conviction. With $146 million inflows into long ETPs and $258 million outflows from short ETPs exceeding the flows in the same direction in July, the bullish repositioning in S&L ETPs tracking oil appears to have intensified. Meanwhile, following the sharp falls in July, the reversal in US natural gas coincided with bullish repositioning by S&L investors in August. However, with inflows into long ETPs and outflows from short ETPs in August markedly lower than in July, S&L investors’ bullish stance on US natural gas appears to have weakened. On the back of the crisis in the Middle East and a strengthening US economy, the bullish sentiment underpinning energy is likely to drive S&L commodity ETPs.

Geography

Today S&L ETPs cover all major assets classes and geographies. In terms of asset allocation at the end of August, equity ETPs are the most popular with 68% of total AUM ($40.6 billion), followed by debt (19%, $11.3 billion) and commodities (6%, $3.8 billion). AUM in currency and alternative ETPs comprise $4bn. In equities, most of the AUM is focused on the US ($16.4 billion, excluding US sector equities of $5.8 billion) and European equities ($6 billion). In Europe, broad European region indices (excluding sector focused ETPs) are the most popular ($2.4 billion in AUM), followed by Germany ($1.2 billion), Italy ($659 million) and France ($590 million). In debt, most of the AUM is in US government debt ($8.3 billion), German government debt ($1.2 billion) and Italian government debt ($220 million). In commodities, natural gas ($908 million of AUM), silver ($882 million of AUM) oil ($813 million of AUM) and gold ($803 million of AUM) are the most popular.

Summary

Viktor Nossek, Head of Research at Boost, commented: “August saw S&L investors repositioning bullishly in European equities and bearishly in US equities. Tactical, contrarian-style allocations, underpinned by macro risks surrounding Ukraine and the Middle East have triggered the build-up of bullish positions in markets most affected by the crises, in particular helping to drive flows of S&L ETPs tracking German and Russian equities. The unwinding of large long positions in US equities in turn is likely a result of the robust showing of US equities. With broad and tech equities having attained new highs, it has given S&L investors an excuse to position bearishly in August. Germany’s record low bond yields have also brought contrarians to the fore, driving the bearish flows seen in ETPs tracking German debt.”

He added: “Demand for S&L ETPs was also reflected in Boost ETP’s AUM, which stood at $130 million at the end of August 2014. The introduction of Boost’s range of 3x short and 3x leverage ETPs was a first in the UK in December 2012 and a first in Italy in October 2013, and it is proving to be a useful tool for investors to hedge risk or express a view with less capital.”

Boost is a division of WisdomTree.