Halal-focused investment firm Wahed Invest has debuted its first ETF – the Wahed FTSE USA Shariah ETF (HLAL US). Listed on Nasdaq, the fund is linked to the FTSE USA Shariah Index which provides exposure to US large- and mid-cap firms that comply with Shariah principles.

FTSE Russell, one of the biggest players in the ETF indexing space, has announced the expansion of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) equity index offering with the launch of the FTSE Global Climate Index Series and the FTSE ESG Index Series.

HK-based Fullgoal Asset Management has launched a fixed income ETF on the London Stock Exchange, becoming the first Chinese issuer to list an ETF in Europe independently in its own right. The Fullgoal FTSE China Onshore Sovereign and Policy Bank Bond 1-10 Year Index ETF (LSE: RMB3) provides exposure to RMB-denominated bonds issued by the Chinese government and China’s so-called “policy” banks. Michael Chow, Head of International Business and Managing Director at Fullgoal, said: “The Chinese onshore fixed income market is the world’s third-largest bond market. Our fund provides an avenue for overseas investors to access an otherwise not easily accessible market. We believe that, over time, RMB fixed income will become an essential asset class for global investors.”

London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) has been successful in its bid to acquire the Frank Russell Company. The board of LSE believes the acquisition is a rare opportunity to acquire a high quality US business with a leading global indexing brand – Russell Indexes. The acquisition comes at a time when passive index-linked investing – particularly via exchange-traded funds – is fast taking market share from traditional active strategies. The combination of Russell Indexes with FTSE, LSE’s existing index brand, creates a global leader in index services and the number three provider of indices to ETFs globally.

The London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has confirmed that is evaluating the merits of a potential bid for Russell Investments. LSEG is the owner of FTSE Group, a leading index provider, and is understood to be interested in acquiring Russell primarily for Russell Indexes, the company’s vast indexing business. Russell Indexes is one of the leading providers of indices to the fast-growing exchange-traded funds industry, with more than $150 billion in assets invested in Russell-linked ETFs.

Russell Investments, a leading investment manager and index provider, has announced the launch of the Russell UK Mid 150 Index, an index providing a highly tradable representation of the UK mid-cap market. The index has been designed in response to specific sell-side demand for exposure to the UK mid-cap market that can be traded with high efficiency, and can be used as the basis for index-linked investment products such as swaps, futures and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Despite declining fund use among advisors, traditional mutual fund managers, particularly large fund complexes, are poised to play a leading role in the next phase of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) revolution – the rollout of active ETFs – according to a report from Cogent Research. As interest in active ETFs builds, it appears that traditional fund managers are well positioned to capture (or retain) a portion of future active ETF flows.

Following a strategic review, Russell Investments has formally announced the termination and liquidation of the company’s US passively managed family of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Russell will continue to focus on offering solutions in the actively managed, asset allocated ETF space, including maintaining the Russell Equity ETF (ONEF), as part of its core capability in investment strategy implementation as well as in the passive ETF space through its index licensing business.

Two relative newcomers to the US ETF game, Russell Investments and FocusShares, have signalled their retreat, reflecting the intense competitive pressures within the US market as ETF giants iShares, SPDR and Vanguard monopolise inflows. Meanwhile, elsewhere, US-based Direxion, Europe-based Lyxor and Canada-based Horizons have announced the pending closure or delisting (of secondary listings) of some of their less popular funds.

FTSE Group has leveraged its combined index and analytics experience to launch a series of indices aimed at delivering reduced index volatility. The newly launched FTSE Global Minimum Variance Index Series provides investors with a broad, diversified and investable portfolio incorporating a low volatility/variance objective, thereby offering potential improvements to the risk/reward trade-off versus conventional indices. The index series will compete against similar products from MSCI, S&P, Stoxx and Russell and could form the basis for future ETF launches.