Globally ETFs and ETPs had outflows of US$3.98 billion in June 2013, their first net outflows in over two years

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Globally ETFs and ETPs had outflows of US$3.98 billion in June 2013, their first net outflows in over two years
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: Ashok Prabhakaran . Los ETFs y ETPs registran en junio las primeras desinversiones netas en dos años

Globally ETFs and ETPs had outflows of US$3.98 billion in June 2013, their first net outflows in over two years. Assets invested globally in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) are at US$2.04 trillion, down from their all-time high of US$2.13 trillion at the end of May 2013, according to preliminary figures from ETFGI’s Global ETF and ETP industry insights report for first half 2013. There are now 4,849 ETFs and ETPs, with 9,878 listings, assets of US$2.04 trillion, from 209 providers listed on 56 exchanges. Year to date assets in ETFs and ETPs have increased by 4.9% from US$1.95 trillion to US$2.04 trillion.

Average daily trading volumes in ETFs/ETPs in June were US$92.2 billion, representing an increase of 31.1% from May and the highest level since October 2011.

“Market uncertainty surrounding the future of QE programs and volatility in the markets caused investors to withdraw US$3.98 billion from ETFs and ETPs in June” according to Deborah Fuhr, Managing Partner at ETFGI.

Fixed income ETFs/ETPs experienced the largest net outflows with US$7.1 billion, followed by commodity ETFs/ETPs with US$3.8 billion, while equity ETFs/ETPs gathered net inflows with US$4.8 billion.

Year to date through end of H1 2013, ETFs/ETPs have seen net inflows of US$103.9 billion, which is slightly lower than the US$107.2 billion of net inflows at this time last year.

In June 2013, equity ETFs/ETPs saw net inflows of US$4.8billion. North American equity ETFs/ETPs gathered the largest net inflows with US$6.9 billion, and then developed European equity indices with US$3 billion, while emerging market equity ETFs/ETPs experienced net outflows with US$4.9 billion.

Fixed income ETFs/ETPs saw net outflows of US$7.1 billion in June 2013. Inflation ETFs/ETPs experienced the largest net outflows with US$2.1 billion, followed by high yield with US$2 billion, and emerging market bond with US$1.8 billion, while government bond ETFs/ETPs gathered net inflows with US$1.1 billion.

In June 2013, commodity ETFs/ETPs saw net outflows of US$3.8 billion. Precious metals experienced the largest net outflows with US$3.2 billion.

Vanguard ranks 3rd in terms of ETF/ETP assets, is ahead in asset gathering with US$28.9 billion in net inflows year to date, and was the only one of the top 5 providers to receive net inflows in June. iShares ranks 1st in terms of assets, had net out flows of US$7.9 billion in June, and net inflows of US$23 billion year to date. SPDR ETFs ranks 2nd in assets, had net out flows of US$2.4 billion in June, and net outflows of US$6 billion year to date. Powershares ranks 4th in assets, had net out flows of US$586 million in June, and net inflows of US$7.16 billion year to date. DB X trackers ranks 5th in terms of assets, had net out flows of US$751 million in June, and net inflows of US$9 million year to date.

S&P Dow Jones has the largest amount of ETF and ETP assets tracking its benchmarks with US$563 billion, reflecting 27.5% market share; MSCI is second with US$319 billion and 15.6% market share, followed by Barclays with US$188 billion and 9.2% market share.

 

Reading BIGdata: Three Books to Learn how to Change the Way we Visualize Things

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Reading BIGdata: Three Books to Learn how to Change the Way we Visualize Things
Wikimedia Commonshttp://hint.fm/wind/. BIGdata: Tres libros que nos enseñan a cambiar la forma de visualizar el mundo

Three new books about data visualization show the world in graphic form, thanks to recent advances in presenting big data. A video by The Economist featuring Kenneth Cukier, data editor at the magazine, shows how to depict information in new ways and look at the world through data visualization.

Some examples of this visualization show the impact of improvised explosive devices in the Afghanistan War, the earthquakes suffered globally during the 20th century or a map of winds of the United States. The three books are: “Facts are Sacred”, by Rogers Simon, who worked at The Guardian but who now works for Twitter; “The Infographic History of the World” by James Ball and Valentina d’Efilippo shows the history of humanity from the big bang through quantification and the visual display of that information; and “Data points: visualization that means something” by Nathan Yau aimed for the professionals who have to work daily with big amounts of data making you think of entirely different ways to present data. This book shows a Wind Map (interactive through the link) made by two people at Google who were able to show data, almost in real time, about the intensity of wind flows through white lines and how they change. It does not take much to think about ways in which these new tools can be used to analyze and support investment decisions.

End of Quantitative Easing Tapers Asian Returns? Part I

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End of Quantitative Easing Tapers Asian Returns? Part I
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: Zhang Gui . ¿Puede el fin del QE desacelerar los retornos asiáticos? Parte I

When your economy is depressed, with high rates of unemployment, and interest rates at close to zero, you need aggressive monetary policy to keep activity ticking over. And what you say you will do matters just as much as what you actually do. Thus, the markets became very skittish when first U.S. Fed Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made public statements from which speculators inferred they were going to be less aggressive in monetary stimulus than had been expected.

Lowering peoples’ growth expectations and causing them to bid up the U.S. dollar is about the worst combination for Asian equities historically

First, Bernanke spoke about tapering off quantitative easing (“QE”). What he meant, or what he actually said, was that quantitative easing would taper off if U.S. growth continued to improve. All well and good, but the markets are not yet “sold” on the idea that U.S. growth is going to be all right. After all, we have just had a round of tax hikes and also some spending cuts—surely that means there is downside risk to anyone’s forecasts of the economy? Then, Abe spoke. Speculators were already selling Japanese equities after Bernanke’s comments, for fear that if the U.S. were thinking of withdrawing stimulus, what hope would there be that Japan would persist with its own money-printing experiment? Abe exacerbated their concerns because he said he was aiming for 2% real growth and 3% nominal growth, the difference, 1%, being inflation. Yet, in the market, inflation expectations were already above 1% and it is primarily through those expectations that monetary stimulus gains its force. Speculators, hearing that the authorities were planning to be less aggressive than expected, caused another abrupt sell-off in Japanese equities. If that were not enough, we then had a second round of Bernanke’s public comments that tied withdrawal of monetary stimulus to a fall in the unemployment rate to 7%. Now, 7% is hardly full employment—that is probably closer to 5% or 6%; in addition, so many people have left the workforce recently, that the “true” unemployment rate may be much higher than stated. Indeed the U.S. unemployment situation may have improved only marginally since the trough of economic activity.

So, in a matter of weeks, these two policymakers managed to dash the hopes of faster global growth and rising prices of goods and assets that were being built into the markets. Investors now fear that as soon as growth starts to pick up, central bankers will move to prevent it from accelerating, even though the economy is rising from a depressed base. The situation was further exacerbated by spikes in interbank rates in China that are a symptom of the government cracking down on domestic liquidity in an attempt to rein in credit growth. Whilst this tightening may be desirable, its timing couldn’t have been worse, given the comments from the U.S. and Japan. Indeed, it looks as if global monetary policy chiefs all “got out of the wrong side of the bed” this week. So, speculators sold everything—bonds, equities, gold, and bought U.S. dollars.

Some of the moves in the market were, in the short run at least, a little puzzling. Falling equity markets make sense in a world of “premature” monetary tightening. So does a rising U.S. dollar. But rising bond yields? Yields may well rise in the short run as part of a run to cash, but if growth does indeed slow, they will fall back down again, and, one assumes, the Fed will then need to launch QE 4, 5, 6… and 7. So, we are in a bit of a holding pattern here. Which is right? Bonds or equities? If growth is indeed picking up, the bond moves seem appropriate but equities would surely enjoy an environment of faster growth! If growth is about to disappoint, then equities are right and yields will surely fall back down—even then, the likelihood of further stimulus to correct the premature tightening would help cushion equity markets.

Very occasionally, global events like these may offer up a few bargains along the way

Now, what does this mean for Asia? Historically Asian markets have done well in periods of a weaker U.S. dollar and faster growth, so lowering peoples’ growth expectations and causing them to bid up the U.S. dollar is about the worst combination for Asian equities historically. And I do not think that Asia’s relation to global markets has changed significantly enough to nullify this past relationship. However, there are reasons to think that the effects on Asia’s equity prices may be a little more muted this time. First, valuations are already low—we have gone through a period of weak growth and a slightly appreciating U.S. dollar for the past two years. The impact on the markets has been to cause Asia’s price-to-earnings to fall close to its historical lower bound, even as earnings are depressed by cyclically weak margins. Consequently, Asia’s discount to the U.S. has widened to about 30%. In addition, Asia’s economies are in reasonable shape in regards to external exposure—only Australia, India, and Indonesia run external deficits—and levels of external currency debt of both sovereigns and companies are substantially less worrying than they were on the eve of the 1997 Asian crisis. So, Asia’s economies are not as stretched as they were going into the U.S. dollar strengthening in the late 1990s and its equity markets, particularly North Asia, are priced quite reasonably.

In the short run, the reaction of the markets may have been induced in part by fears of the past. Nevertheless, Bernanke and Abe did no favours for Asia with their recent comments and China’s tightening will slow growth and dampen expectations further. However, for us at Matthews Asia, we are not going to try and guess the short-run fluctuations of GDP growth, nor will we try and anticipate the nervy reactions of short-run speculators or attempt to predict the future public statements of global policymakers. As always, we will continue to look much longer-term and try to identify the companies that will themselves sail through the short-term changes in economic policy and adapt themselves to the evolving aspirations and demands of their Asia customers. Very occasionally, global events like these may offer up a few bargains along the way.

Robert Horrocks, PhD, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager Matthews Asia

The views and information discussed represent opinion and an assessment of market conditions at a specific point in time that are subject to change.  It should not be relied upon as a recommendation to buy and sell particular securities or markets in general. The subject matter contained herein has been derived from several sources believed to be reliable and accurate at the time of compilation. Matthews International Capital Management, LLC does not accept any liability for losses either direct or consequential caused by the use of this information. Investing in international and emerging markets may involve additional risks, such as social and political instability, market illiquid­ity, exchange-rate fluctuations, a high level of volatility and limited regulation. In addition, single-country funds may be subject to a higher degree of market risk than diversified funds because of concentration in a specific geographic location. Investing in small- and mid-size companies is more risky than investing in large companies, as they may be more volatile and less liquid than large companies. This document has not been reviewed or approved by any regulatory body.

Renewed or Print

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Renovarse o imprimir
Wikimedia CommonsBy LunarGlide+ 5 from Nike Running. Renewed or Print

Continuously reinventing and taking advantage of opportunities offered by the advancement of
technology is essential for companies to remain at the forefront. Some firms in an industry as traditional as textiles have been able to incorporate the technological advances into their production processes, reducing costs and time through the thereof. Increasing number of shoe companies are making use of the 3D printing, in which their designs are made more efficiently and effective.

The strategy of Robeco Consumer Trends is in line with these companies who are committed to continuous innovations, able to anticipate the needs of the consumers, even create them, obtaining further outperformance.

Through 3D printing, shoe manufacturers take advantage of advances driven technology heavy industries such as aerospace. This type of printing is partially extended in the area of personalized medicine as may be the case of hip prostheses. 3D printer’s particles have plastic, metal or even wood into thin layers that are used to construct objects solids.

Before the arrival of this new way of designing the new shoes, the prototypes of the German Adidas, teams were made up of twelve technicians working by hand. The new technology does not need more than two people. With the use of this technique, Adidas managed to reduce the time needed to evaluate new prototype from four to six weeks to just a day or two.

Shane Kohatsu, innovation director of Nike headquarters in Oregon, said to the Financial Times that for him the most striking of 3D printing is not the volume that you get to develop, but the speed with which you can make changes to prototypes.

The strategy of Robeco Consumer Trends has invested about 15% of its total portfolio in the garment industry and luxury goods. Along with Nike and Adidas helping to excel Robeco consumption strategy there is also Lululemon Athletica, other names or Michael Kors, among others. These big brands are a part, along with many others, one of the betting strategy of Robeco Consumer Trends, the big brands. A through them is to not only take advantage of the returns generated by these firms consolidated but also provide a defensive to the portfolio.

Longevity And Endorsements Key To Wealth For Millionaire NBA Players

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Longevity And Endorsements Key To Wealth For Millionaire NBA Players
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: JoeJohnson2 . La longevidad y publicidad, los grandes aliados de la riqueza de los jugadores de la NBA

Three-quarters of the top 10 ultra wealthy National Basketball Association (NBA) players were drafted in the mid-1990s, suggesting longevity in the sport and corporate endorsements are key to wealth for today’s athletes.

These are the findings by Wealth-X, the ultra high net worth (UHNW) business development solution for private banks, luxury brands, educational institutions and non-profits, which released its ranking of ultra wealthy players following this year’s NBA Draft.

The NBA’s wealthiest have been playing for an average of 15 years, or since 1998, which is considered a long career by athlete standards.

Leading the pack is Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers shooting guard, with a total net worth of US$220 million. Drafted in 1996, Bryant, who will earn US$27.85 million in the 2012-2013 season, continues to draw the highest salary in NBA. This is supplemented by multi-million dollar endorsements with Nike, Coca Cola, Turkish Airlines, Mercedes-Benz, Lenovo, Panini and Hublot.

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnet ranks at number 2 with a net worth of US$190 million. The veteran player with a 17-year NBA career has endorsements with Anta, a Chinese sportswear company, and coconut water brand Zinco, worth US$4 million.

Below is the top 10 wealthiest NBA players by net worth:

“Against the backdrop of the NBA Draft last week, it is interesting to explore the correlation between talent, performance and net worth that is revealed in this ranking. It provides a window into the value that society implicitly places on the skills of these professional athletes and the role of entertainment within our culture,” said Wealth-X President David Friedman.

Some Conclusions After the Correction in the High-Yield Market

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Algunas conclusiones tras la corrección en el mercado de high yield
Foto cedida. Some Conclusions After the Correction in the High-Yield Market

The month of June closed with the same negative trends as last month, the sell-off continues without discriminating the fundamental values ​​of the various risk assets, unlike the great falls of recent times (2008 and August 2011). If we focus on the high yield market, we notice a high correlation between the different ratings regardless of credit rating, which indicates that this is not a fall based on credit fears (systemic and increased default), as it was in the above dates.

If we look at the performance of different debt assets from May 9th to June 24th of this year, we can draw the following conclusions:

1.     High yield fell lessthan U.S. Treasury bonds and than “investment grade” bonds, which highlights the importance of the spread and the  coupon in negative periods.

2.    Bonds with a  BB, B and CCC rating fell almost the same. This confirms that the sell-off is not due to credit concerns. The credit fundamentals in the high yield market are still very solid. The vast majority of companies already refinanced their debt at long maturities, are at record cash-flow highs and default probability is low (according to JP Morgan about 2%). So the correction is purely technical and not fundamental.

3.     The high yield ETF has fallen much more than the high-yield market, nearly 2% of “underperformance” for its trading at premium / discount to NAV and for its tendency to replicate very liquid bond indices.

4.   As was to be expected in this correction, those which have performed better are the loans and the short-term bonds. In June, the Muzinich Short Duration Fund fell -1.33%, while that of loans only fell -0.38, versus the high-yield market which in the same period fell -3.6%. The Muzinich America Yield improved its benchmark result with -3.4% during the same period, as is usual in periods of correction due to Muzinich’s management type (without derivatives, without finance and BB and B only).

Having said that, we can see good BB and B bonds in today’s market paying 6 to 7%; levels which are equivalent to those of the summer of 2012 (Northern Hemisphere). So the spreads are already at their 450-550 historical average, but with the difference that the expected default is now much lower than the historical (2% versus the historic 4.5%).

At Capital Strategies Partners, we believe that periods of “non-core” off-risk behavior, as we are seeing right now, represent good opportunities to acquire interesting carry assets. Of course, always under the guidance of a conservative manager who knows how to manage the portfolio’s default efficiently. It’s worth remembering that Muzinich has an impressive track record of default, with only 0.20% of default in more than 10 years, well below the industry’s average rate of 4.3%.

We specifically believe that, currently, the best way to have exposure to high yield is through short-term funds or floating rate funds.

Opinion column by Armando Vidal, CFA, Associate at Capital Strategies.

Sovereign Risk, QE and Geopolitical Tensions the Key Drivers of Commodity Markets

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Sovereign Risk, QE and Geopolitical Tensions the Key Drivers of Commodity Markets
Foto cedidaPlataforma Lun-A (Lunskoye-A), a 15 km de la costa este de Sakhalin Island. Riesgo soberano, QE y tensiones geopolíticas, las claves del mercado de commodities

Back in 2007 and 2008, correlation between individual commodities had reached very high levels. Of late, however, we have seen significant de-correlation between individual commodities, leading to polarised returns. For example, in the year to 31 May 2013, the DJUBS Commodity index returns for corn exceeded 33% while natural gas rose by over 20%. At the same time, wheat increased by just over 1%, aluminium fell by more than 10% and silver declined by more than 20%.

Commodity decoupling has created opportunities for relative value trades within the portfolio and we have been able to successfully exploit this strategy in metals, energy and grains. This was particularly the case in grains with positions between corn and wheat, and in energy between Brent and WTI Crude Oil or US Gasoline and US Natural Gas.

A US economic recovery is something of a two-edged sword for commodities, as it has two opposing effects

So what has been driving this decoupling? We believe investors initially bought into the commodity supercycle theory, both as a way of tapping into the China story and as a hedge against inflation. The supercycle theory was based on the premise that the industrialization of China would result in a prolonged period of sustained economic growth and increased demand for commodities, thus driving up prices for all commodities.

However, in recent months a growing consensus has developed that China’s growth is likely to decelerate and undergo a shift in emphasis from investment in fixed assets and infrastructure towards domestic consumption. This is likely to have a significant impact, particularly on metals and bulk commodities. As a result, some investors have declared the supercycle dead and are focusing instead on specific factors within each commodity class, such as different supply and demand dynamics within individual markets.

A further significant issue has been the extent to which the macroeconomic environment in the US is improving. A US economic recovery is something of a two-edged sword for commodities, as it has two opposing effects. On the one hand, a stronger US economy should lead to increased demand for commodities. However, it also tends to result in a strengthening dollar and, over time, there is quite a high correlation between dollar strength and commodity price weakness, since commodities are priced in dollars.

Our positioning

We are positive on the energy sector in general, and oil-based energy in particular, as structural demand continues to grow, particularly from emerging markets. Moreover, oil markets are less affected by a deceleration in Chinese growth or a change in the country’s growth strategy. We also believe the impact of an improving US economic environment is positive for oil markets, as the US remains the largest consumer in the world and higher employment should have a positive impact on demand for oil and gasoline. A strengthening US dollar is of less relevance in this sector, as energy tends to be less correlated to the dollar than is the case with metals.

We have been underweight base metals for some time. The shift away from fixed-asset investment to consumer-led growth in China is bound to have an impact on those metals, such as copper, where China has been biggest source of demand over the past few years. The potential strength in the dollar is also likely to be negative for metals due to their strong correlation to the greenback. In addition, the investment we have seen from hedge funds has been driven by a bearish view on the dollar and, as the dollar has strengthened, we should see some liquidation of these trades.

Some investors have declared the supercycle dead and are focusing instead on specific factors within each commodity class

Outlook

We believe recent volatility in the commodities sector creates exciting opportunities to position our commodity portfolios advantageously in the second half of 2013. We remain bullish on the oil sector, especially oil products. Geopolitical risk in Syria and the Middle East in general is clearly a key issue. This risk has been underplayed lately because investors are paying more attention to China and the US −as we progress through the year, the market may be jolted by bad news. In the metals sector, we remain slightly bearish, as the outlook hinges on the changing nature of Chinese growth.

We remain firm believers in the benefits of active versus passive investment when accessing opportunities across commodity markets. We combine not only the use of curve strategies, which is a very popular way of investing in the commodities market, but also the above-mentioned relative value trades, enabling us to raise and lower risk, as appropriate. As intra-asset correlation comes down, our relative value strategies should continue to provide good opportunities.

Opinion column by Nicolas Robin, Co-Manager of the Threadneedle (Lux) Enhanced Commodities Fund.

London Metal Exchange Latin America Roadshow 2013

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London Metal Exchange Latin America Roadshow 2013
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: Kreepin Deth. London Metal Exchange sale de gira por Latinoamérica

The London Metal Exchange will be in Latin America this September delivering a series of seminars, focusing on issues that are key to the region’s metals and mining industries, said the LME in an statement.

Seminar locations and dates

  • Mexico City -3 September
  • 
Bogota – 5 & 6 September (conference and training seminar)
  • 
Santiago – 9 September
  • 
Lima – 11 September
  • 
Sao Paulo – 13 September

Why attend?

  • Is metal price volatility a key issue for you?
  • Do you need help managing risk?
  • How do senior economists and metals analysts see the future for base metals?

The seminars are also a great opportunity to meet and network with a wide range of professionals in the metals and mining industries.

If you want to know how to register for a seminar click here.

Did you know?

  • The LME’s relationship with Latin America spans over 136 years
  • Our three month contract originates from the journey time from Chile to London
  • LME prices were first used by miners in Latin America
  • Latin American mining companies were the first to trade LME futures contracts.

 

Global Asset Management Revenue Climbs Past Pre-Crisis Peak

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Global Asset Management Revenue Climbs Past Pre-Crisis Peak
Wikimedia CommonsFoto: Florent Ruyssen. Los ingresos de las gestoras de fondos alcanzan niveles precrisis

Median pre-tax operating margins rose to 32%, the highest since 2007, according to a new benchmarking analysis surveying 101 money managers worldwide who invest an aggregate $23 trillion for institutions and individuals. The new high in profit margin was driven by market appreciation, which also lifted 2012 revenue in the global asset management industry past the previous 2007 peak.

However, net inflows of 1.2% last year – compared with 3.7% in 2007 – increasing fee pressure, and a widening economic divergence among firms post-financial crisis point to growing industry challenges, according to the new analysis, Performance Intelligence: 2013 Survey Results.

The global survey participants largely came from the U.S. Institute and European Institute, members-only forums established by Institutional Investor’s conference division for CEOs of leading investment management firms. Casey, Quirk & Associates, a leading management consultant to investment management firms worldwide, has conducted the survey (its tenth annual) in partnership with McLagan, the investment management industry’s leading provider of compensation consulting services and pay and performance data.  They surveyed privately held, publicly traded and wholly or partly owned firms with assets under management ranging from below $50 billion to over $1 trillion in assets.

“With annual net flows of under 1% anticipated through 2017 these findings, based on one of the largest industry surveys of asset management economics, indicate managers must adapt and innovate to keep up let alone to continue thriving,” said Kevin Quirk, partner at Casey Quirk.

Traditional investment offerings will continue to be challenged, while outcome-oriented and higher alpha strategies will enjoy the highest net flows, according to the benchmarking analysis. These include: hedge funds; balanced strategies; global tactical asset allocation and multi-asset class solutions; emerging markets debt; and global equities.

“In a slow growth environment, asset retention is crucial, and winning firms stand out with more robust staffing in sales and client service and operationally by aligning their economics for superior attraction and retention of talent,” said Adam Barnett, head of the asset management practice at McLagan.

Privately held and publicly listed asset managers enjoyed the strongest revenue growth in the 2007-2012 period, expanding at average annual rates of 8.4% and 7.0%, respectively, according to the benchmarking analysis. Firms owned by larger financial institutions had average annual growth rates of 4.3% over the same period, while revenue at affiliates of asset management holding companies declined on average 4.6%.

Of the firms surveyed, those in the middle, with managed assets between $50 billion and $200 billion, enjoyed the strongest rebound in operating margins, to 32% in 2012 from a low of 15% in 2009, and were most consistent in attracting net flows over the period 2007 to 2012.

“It’s abundantly clear firms must retool to take advantage of market segment opportunities and changing investor demands, or risk losing talent and market share to more adaptable competitors,” said Fred Bleakley, director of the U.S. and European Institutes.

Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange Launches SENSEX Futures

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Further expanding its portfolio of derivatives products, the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) has announced the launch of SENSEX Futures, the first ever Indian equity index futures contract to be listed on an exchange in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The new contract, which will go live on July 5, 2013, will be cleared by the Dubai Commodities Clearing Corporation (DCCC).

DGCX SENSEX Futures is a futures contract based on the S&P BSE SENSEX, the blue-chip stock index of India’s leading bourse, the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Recently co-branded in partnership with S&P Dow Jones Indices, the SENSEX is considered the most popular gauge of the Indian equity market and has high brand recall among investors. The SENSEX Index tracks the performance of 30 of the largest and most heavily traded stocks on the BSE.

Gary Anderson, CEO of DGCX said:“The contract is part of a planned expansion of our Emerging Market product offering, and will offer an exciting trading option for investors seeking exposure to one of the world’s largest Emerging Markets. While the retail segment is a key target market, we are also anticipating strong interest from a wide range of regional and international investors including UNHWIs, professional traders and institutional investors. DGCX participants have already shown great interest in trading SENSEX futures.”

DGCX’s new equity futures contract will target retail participants including non-resident Indians (NRIs) across the world, existing DGCX members focused on retail offerings, the NRI desks of banks, professional traders trading and arbitraging Indian markets offshore and large foreign institutional investors seeking exposure to Indian equity markets.

Ashishkumar Chauhan, MD, BSE said:“BSE tied up with DGCX for SENSEX derivatives in October 17 2011. Derivatives on India Stock Indices are very popular in several overseas markets including Singapore. Trading in Indian indices has grown substantially over the last decade in overseas markets. This launch is a key milestone for us since it is the first time we have partnered with an exchange in the MENA region to launch an equity-based derivatives product. DGCX SENSEX Futures will provide investors with an important tool for managing their portfolios benchmarked to BSE’s equity indices.”

“Given that a large number of NRIs reside in the Middle East region, we are confident about the SENSEX futures contract’s potential to generate high interest and trade volumes in line with interest in other jurisdictions,” Chauhan added.