The first half of 2010 is in the books, and it is no surprise that the ETF industry has continued to grow at an impressive rate. According to the latest data from the National Stock Exchange, the universe of exchange-traded products saw almost $40 billion of cash inflows during the first six months of the year. From purely a volume perspective, the expansion of the ETF industry has been impressive as well; by our count, the first half saw more than 100 new product launches covering a wide variety of asset classes and investment strategies. [click to continue…]
First Trust, the Lisle, Illinois-based ETF provider best known for its AlphaDEX funds, has filed papers for three new ETFs, including two commodity funds and one emerging market ETF. The funds in registration are the First Trust BICK Index Fund, First Trust ISE Global Copper Index Fund, and the First Trust ISE Global Platinum Index [...]
As the ETF industry has expanded in recent years, a significant portion of growth has come from the tremendous rise in popularity of exchange-traded commodity products. In addition to broad-based funds such as DBC or DJCI, several commodity-specific products have accumulated billions of dollars in assets, and several were even among the very largest of [...]
After weeks of anticipation, the first ETFs offering U.S. investors exposure to Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) launched on Friday, as London-based ETF Securities (ETFS) introduced the ETFS Physical Platinum Shares (PPLT) and ETFS Physical Palladium Shares (PALL). These funds bring the total number of U.S.-listed ETFs from ETFS to four, joining gold and silver ETFs [...]
ETF Securities (ETFS) indicated in a filing with the SEC last week that financial firm Susquehanna Capital Group has bought 100,000 shares of its proposed first-ever platinum ETF, with delivery expected by the end of this week. Susquehanna has also purchased 100,000 shares of a physically-backed palladium ETF proposed by ETFS. According to an October [...]
After struggling just to survive for much of 2009, the U.S. automotive industry is showing surprising signs of life in early 2010, as surges in foreign demand and better-than-expected domestic results give the struggling sector a boost. While it’s far too early to tell if the turnaround will be sustainable or is simply a blip [...]
Precious metals ETFs have become a popular investment choice for investors looking to establish an inflation hedge or seeking a safe haven in times of economic uncertainty. While these assets are generally concentrated in a handful of gold and silver funds, a number of ETFs and ETNs offering exposure to platinum, one of the “forgotten [...]
Platinum is one of the world’s most precious metals, and for good reason. This beautiful, gray-white metal is highly sought after for use in jewelry, and is also very important for many industrial processes, particularly in the transportation industry. While the multiple uses of platinum create a relatively solid price floor for the metal, platinum [...]
