By David Stevenson – Every once in a while a simple, smart idea comes along and gets deluged with lots of money. Cue Guggenheim’s range of BulletShares ETFs in the US. Linked to a range of indices developed by Accretive Asset Management, these corporate and high-yield bond ETFs take the simple idea of a target-date lifestyle fund and turn it on its head – you want diversified income but you also want to know that you’ll get your money back at a set date in the future, then why not invest in a BulletShares ETF?

Markit, a leading provider of indices to exchange-traded funds, has announced the launch of the Markit iBoxx SGD, a family of bond indices designed to track the performance of sovereign and corporate debt denominated in Singapore dollars (SGD). The indices are the first to include comprehensive and detailed coverage of the SGD corporate bond market. The launch comes at a time when Singapore’s positive economic outlook and high credit rating are attracting a growing investor base to its local debt markets.

Nasdaq OMX Global Indexes and Accretive Asset Management have formed a new partnership to promote and develop the BulletShares range of target-maturity corporate bond indices. The indices, which have been co-branded Nasdaq BulletShares Indexes, currently have more than $2.5 billion in exchange-traded fund (ETF) assets linked to them.

The pioneering S&P 500 Equal Weight Index (EWI) and Guggenheim S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) have marked their tenth anniversaries. Prior to their launch, the overwhelming majority of indices and ETFs were weighted by market capitalisation. And while market capitalisation weightings still dominate today, alternatively weighted approaches are becoming increasingly popular.

Bank of China (HK) and FTSE Group have announced a partnership to develop a new suite of indices designed to measure the performance of Renminbi (RMB)-denominated bonds issued in offshore jurisdictions. The indices will be structured to help global investors to better capture the opportunities in the so-called ‘dim sum’ market and to provide an industry standard benchmark to meet increasing international demand for access to RMB-linked fixed income products, particularly exchange-traded funds.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to frontier markets, such as the db X-trackers S&P Select Frontier UCITS ETF, present an enticing proposition for investors. Inherently a long-term investment opportunity, they not only offer potential for strong returns, but also provide an ideal means of portfolio diversification. With 22% of the world’s population, of which almost 60% is under 30 years of age, abundant natural resources and low labour costs, frontier markets are “too significant to ignore”, says Tim Drinkall of Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

iShares, the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) business of BlackRock, has launched four iSharesBonds Corporate ex-Financials Term ETFs. The new products, which have a range of defined maturity dates, are designed to offer investors bond-like features with the additional benefits of ETF liquidity, transparency and diversification. While relevant to all investors, the products are expected to appeal to institutional clients, such as bank treasurers, as well as private investors structuring a portfolio in anticipation of a planned retirement date.

TriVest Wealth Counsel, a Canadian investment management firm with specialty fund offerings in the energy space, has announced the launch of the Canadian High Yield Energy Index, a new index offering dedicated exposure to the Canadian energy income sector. The index is comprised of companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange involved in the E&P, Oilfield Services, Energy Infrastructure, and Mid-Stream sectors that currently pay a dividend exceeding 4% per annum.

S&P Dow Jones has added to its popular ‘Dividend Aristocrats’ index family with the launch of the S&P Global Dividend Aristocrats Index. The index, which has been licensed to SSgA, reflects the performance of global high-yielding companies that have demonstrated a sustainable dividend policy. The launch further expands the widely recognised Dividend Aristocrats family, which includes, among others, the S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats, the underlying index for the $11 billion SPDR S&P Dividend ETF (SDY).

Charles Schwab’s in-house suite of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), known as Schwab ETFs, has passed the $10 billion assets under management milestone, less than three and a half years after its first ETFs were launched in November 2009. The US-listed ETFs, which are among the cheapest globally in terms of annual fees, have benefited from investors’ search for core, low-cost portfolio building blocks, as well as the general shift towards passively managed products.