Following a tremendously successful 2009 that saw more than $40 billion flow into fixed income ETFs, the number of bond ETFs is expected to increase significantly in 2010. In what could be the first of many new product launches, iShares introduced a line of new municipal bond, or “muni,” ETFs on Friday. Unlike existing muni bond products that are generally diversified across maturities, the iShares S&P AMT-Free Municipal Series includes six funds with a planned-end date and targeted range of maturities. The new funds include: [click to continue…]
The ETF industry picked up steam in November, with several highly-anticipated funds coming to market and multiple issuers disclosing new details on innovative products that could be launched in 2010. The biggest news for the month was the entrance of Charles Schwab into the industry with the launch of four ETFs in early November. Debuting with a competitive cost structure, Schwab has made big inroads in the ETF industry already, racking up almost $150 million in assets already.
But Schwab’s arrival was hardly the extent of the new developments in the ETF industry for November. Other highlights include: [click to continue…]
Invesco PowerShares is scheduled to launch its Build America Bond Portfolio (BAB) on Tuesday, the first exchange-traded product to offer exposure to a new class of fixed income securities. Build America Bonds are different from traditional fixed income securities in several ways, with the potential to deliver attractive real returns with minimal risk of default [...]
