Toronto-based Sprott Asset Management has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the $850m NYSE Arca-listed North Shore Global Uranium Mining ETF (URNM US).

Toronto-headquartered precious-metals specialist Sprott Asset Management has assumed greater control of its two gold miner ETFs, replacing ALPS Advisers as the investment manager and absorbing the funds into the Sprott ETF Trust. As part of the process, the funds have adopted new smart beta indices and had their expense ratios lowered.

Weaker than expected US economic fundamentals is setting the stage for the next gold bull market, according to exchange-traded fund provider Van Eck Global. A US jobs report in May that was significantly below expectations has resulted in lower expectations for the US economic recovery and an increase in the relative attractiveness of risk-off assets. Van Eck also believes this opens the door for further gains in gold mining equities.

Toronto-headquartered exchange-traded fund provider Sprott Asset Management has launched a new fund on the NYSE Arca that attempts to pick outperforming US equities based upon investor sentiment trends on social media sites. The Sprott BUZZ Social Media Insights ETF (BUZ) provides exposure to the BUZZ Social Media Insights Index, a selection of US equities which contain significant bullish investor perception, as determined through current social media analysis. Each month the index identifies the 100 most talked about stocks on social media platforms, ranks them using a proprietary analytics model, and selects the 25 stocks with the most bullish insight scores to be included in the index.

Sprott Asset Management, a Toronto-headquartered precious-metals specialist, has announced the launch of the Sprott Gold Miners ETF (SGDM). Listed on the NYSE, the ETF tracks a smart beta strategy index which seeks to outperform a purely passive, market-capitalization weighted representation of gold stocks. John Wilson, CEO of Sprott, said: “We are committed to developing innovative new products in areas where we can provide value through our expertise and experience.”