iSectors, a US investment strategist firm, has debuted an actively managed multi-asset ETF designed to optimize investor return and minimize downside risk. Listed on Nasdaq, the iSectors Post-MPT Growth ETF (NASDAQ: PMPT) is based on the firm’s flagship quantitative factor-driven investment model, the iSectors Post-MPT Growth Allocation. “We developed the iSectors PMPT Growth ETF to answer advisors’ call for a more easily accessible form of iSectors Post-MPT Growth Allocation,” noted Chuck Self, Chief Investment Officer of iSectors. “We launched PMPT for risk-averse investors, seeking downturn protection while still benefitting from possible market gains.”

Pan-European exchange Euronext has extended its exchange-traded fund listing and trading capabilities to London, giving ETF issuers access to UK investors while continuing to benefit from Euronext’s trading and distribution network. The first ETFs to list on Euronext London this morning were the Lyxor FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Developed UCITS ETF and the Lyxor Euro Stoxx Banks UCITS ETF. “London is an important ETF market and the UK distribution network is increasingly valuable mainly thanks to the Retail Distribution Review which is now starting to facilitate ETF penetration among the retail community,” said Lee Hodgkinson, Head of Markets & Global Sales and CEO Euronext London.

Invesco PowerShares, a leading provider of exchange-traded funds, has launched the PowerShares DWA Tactical Multi-Asset Income Portfolio (Nasdaq: DWIN). The Nasdaq-listed ETF harnesses proprietary methodology from Dorsey, Wright & Associates (DWA) which uses technical analysis to allocate to the strongest price-performers amongst a range of equity, bond and alternative income strategies. The ETF adopts a “fund of funds” structure, meaning that it invests its assets in other ETFs rather than in securities of individual companies. ETFs are selected based on a combination of relative strength indicators and current yield. (Picture, Tom Dorsey, founder of DWA).

BMO Global Asset Management has rolled out four new exchange-traded funds on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx). The funds seek to broaden the scope of ETFs available to local investors, which have thus far tended to be fairly homogeneous and largely focused on China-based exposures. BMO made its ETF debut in Hong Kong in November 2014 with the introduction of three funds structured to help address the demand for income and growth and access to the region’s robust financial sector. Its latest ETFs build on this platform by providing investors with access to important international exposures, including the Nasdaq 100, Asia Pacific real estate, and Japanese and European equities. The latter two being USD hedged.

Following the recent launch of its S&P Real Assets Index, S&P Dow Jones has issued a report examining the potential benefits of allocating to real assets. The report, entitled “Let’s Get Real About Indexing Real Assets” and authored by Jodie Gunzberg, Global Head of Commodities & Real Assets at S&P Dow Jones, highlights how real assets offer an effective means of reducing risk, enhancing diversification and achieving inflation protection. Unveiled on 31 December 2015, the S&P Real Assets Index measures the performance of real assets including global property, infrastructure, commodities, and inflation-linked bonds by using liquid and investable component indices that track public equities, fixed income, and futures. By using liquid and investable component indices, the index is suitable for use as an underlying reference for exchange-traded funds.

Guggenheim Investments, a leading US issuer of exchange-traded funds, has adjusted the methodology behind their Guggenheim Multi-Asset Income Index ETF (NYSE Arca: CVY). The fund has added a momentum filter to its stock selection process, joining existing screening factors such as yield, liquidity, and relative value.

State Street Global Advisors, the asset manager behind the SPDR exchange-traded fund range, has announced the launch of the SPDR FTSE EPRA Europe ex UK Real Estate UCITS ETF (ZPRP). Listed on the LSE and Deutsche Börse, the fund tracks the FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Developed Europe ex UK Index offering exposure to income-producing listed real estate companies and real estate investment trusts in Europe, excluding the UK. “With extensive quantitative easing still in place in Europe, many investors are turning to the steady income, potential for inflation protection, and diversification that an investment in real estate can offer,” said Alexis Marinof, head of SPDR ETFs EMEA.

Funds following European property markets have enjoyed a strong upswing since October 2014. The iShares European Property Yield UCITS ETF (IPRP), for example, netted gains of 25.3% from 1st October 2014 to end of April 2015. Similarly, the iShares Stoxx Europe 600 Real Estate UCITS ETF (EXI5) returned 25.2% over the same period. Growth in property prices has been widely dispersed across the Europe rather than isolated in a few major cities.