Wildcatters Energy ETF Begins Trading
The Jefferies TR-J CRB Wildcatters Exploration & Production ETF (WCAT) began trading on January 20. The new fund tracks the Thomson Reuters / Jefferies CRB Wildcatters Energy E&P Equity Index .
ETF News
ETFs for Platinum and Palladium Start Trading
Exchange traded funds that reflect the price performance of platinum and palladium began trading yesterday. The ETFS Platinum Trust’s (PPLT) and ETFS Palladium Trust (PALL) are both backed by Platinum and Palladium allocated bullion in plate and ingot form stored in secure vaults in London & Switzerland.
Schwab Adds Two International ETFs
Schwab has expanded its line-up of exchange traded funds with the introduction of two new international funds. The Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (SCHE) and the Schwab International Small-Cap Equity ETF (SCHC) began trading on January 14, 2010.
Global ETF Assets Reach $1 Trillion
BlackRock’s Global ETF Research Team is reporting that global exchange traded funds assets reached an all time high of $1 trillion at the end of 2009, up 45% from 2008. The MSCI World Index rose 27% in dollar terms over the same period.
iShares Launches End-Date Municipal Bond ETFs
iShares recently launched a series of municipal bond exchange traded funds with planned end dates. Each of the six new funds within the iShares Muni Series holds a basket of AMT-free, investment grade, noncallable, national municipal bonds that mature in a targeted year.
WisdomTree Lists Currency-Hedged International ETF
WisdomTree has introduced a new twist on international exchange traded funds. The WisdomTree International Hedged Equity ETF (HEDJ) provides investors with exposure to non-U.S. equity securities in Europe, Far East Asia and Australasia, while at the same time neutralizing currency movements in these regions versus the U.S. dollar.
iShares Adds Longer Term Bond ETFs
iShares has added to its line-up of fixed income exchange traded funds with the introduction of the iShares 10+ Year Credit Bond Fund (CLY) and the iShares 10+ Year Government/Credit Bond Fund (GLJ).
Direxion Launches Leveraged ETFs for Emerging Markets
Direxion Shares has added four exchange traded funds that are leveraged 3x and provide both long and short exposure to China and Latin America.
Poland ETF Expands Frontier Market Investing Choices
The Market Vectors Poland ETF (PLND) began trading this week giving investors another way to gain exposure to the fast growing Frontier Markets. The Van Eck fund tracks a diversified index consisting of at least 25 companies either headquartered in Poland or deriving at least 50% of their revenues from the country.
Claymore to Close Four ETFs
Claymore Securities announced plans to close and liquidate four lightly followed ETFs that represent less than 0.70% of its total ETF assets.