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Brazil’s flowering fields signal sugar shock
Mya 14, 2011--To the untrained eye, Brazil’s sugarcane plantations have never looked better. Rare, feather-like violet flowers have shot up from the top of the plants, filling the shimmering skyline of São Paulo’s countryside.
However, local farmers know it is an ominous sign. The flowers, which are induced when the sugarcane plant comes under acute physiological stress, are a testament to the terrible climatic conditions the crop endured last year and a warning of the poor harvest to come.
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Source: FT.com
CFTC Clarifies Effective Date for Swaps Regulation Under the Dodd-Frank Act
July 14, 2011--The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an Order clarifying the effective date of the provisions in the swap regulatory regime established by Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank Act”) as the CFTC continues to implement rules to reduce risk and enhance transparency in the swap markets. The Order provides temporary relief from certain provisions that will become effective as of July 16, 2011, until the CFTC completes the rulemakings specified in the Order.
The CFTC’s action will avoid disruption in the markets, and will provide for the orderly implementation of the new comprehensive swap regulatory regime mandated by Congress. This order is temporary, and it will expire upon the effective date of final rules or December 31, 2011.
“In our effort to protect the American public, the CFTC is now approving final rules called for in the Dodd-Frank Act with more final rules to be considered in upcoming meetings next week, in August and throughout the fall. Today, we are granting temporary relief from certain provisions that would otherwise apply to swaps or swap dealers on July 16,” said Chairman Gensler. “This order enables the Commission to continue its progress in finalizing rules.”
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Source: CFTC.gov
Chairman Ben S. Bernanke Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress
Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.
July 13, 2011
Chairman Bernanke presented identical remarks before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate on July 14, 2011
Chairman Bachus, Ranking Member Frank, and other members of the Committee, I am pleased to present the Federal Reserve's semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress. I will begin with a discussion of current economic conditions and the outlook and then turn to monetary policy.
The Economic Outlook
The U.S. economy has continued to recover, but the pace of the expansion so far this year has been modest. After increasing at an annual rate of 2-3/4 percent in the second half of 2010, real gross domestic product (GDP) rose at about a 2 percent rate in the first quarter of this year, and incoming data suggest that the pace of recovery remained soft in the spring. At the same time, the unemployment rate, which had appeared to be on a downward trajectory at the turn of the year, has moved back above 9 percent.
In part, the recent weaker-than-expected economic performance appears to have been the result of several factors that are likely to be temporary. Notably, the run-up in prices of energy, especially gasoline, and food has reduced consumer purchasing power. In addition, the supply chain disruptions that occurred following the earthquake in Japan caused U.S. motor vehicle producers to sharply curtail assemblies and limited the availability of some models. Looking forward, however, the apparent stabilization in the prices of oil and other commodities should ease the pressure on household budgets, and vehicle manufacturers report that they are making significant progress in overcoming the parts shortages and expect to increase production substantially this summer.
view the Overview: Monetary Policy and the Economic Outlook
Source: FRB
U.S. ETF Assets Expected to Double to $2 Trillion in 2015, Says New BNY Mellon-Strategic Insight Report
Non-traditional ETF Strategies Represent Rising Portion of Industry's Asset Growth
July 13, 2011--
Assets in Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) in the U.S. are expected to double to $2 trillion before the end of 2015, according to a new whitepaper from BNY Mellon and Strategic Insight.
The report, ETFs 2.0: The Next Wave of Growth and Opportunity in the U.S. ETF Market, looks at the factors driving the rapid expansion of the ETF market (including exchange-traded notes, or ETNs) and how asset managers can tap the vigorous growth of this industry with products that are passive, active, or somewhere in between.
"The next wave of growth for ETFs is being driven by new asset classes, new indexes and new ways to use ETFs as tools for portfolio construction," said Joseph Keenan, head of global exchange traded fund services at BNY Mellon Asset Servicing. "The ever increasing sophistication of these newly created ETFs can pose operational and distribution challenges for asset managers. However, with detailed planning and a focused strategy, a variety of innovative exchange-traded products can be brought to market to effectively meet investors' needs."
Traditional index-based ETFs are likely to account for a falling overall share of ETF assets as non-traditional and alternative funds grab a larger slice of the market. Since the end of 2008, non-traditional ETFs have grown from 18 percent of the market to an estimated 30 percent of U.S. ETF assets by March 31, 2011, according to Strategic Insight's Simfund database. The BNY Mellon-Strategic Insight report predicts this trend will continue as investors become less likely to simply allocate their assets among growth stocks, value stocks, large cap stocks, small cap stocks and other traditional categories.
view- ETFs 2.0: The Next Wave of Growth and Opportunity in the U.S. ETF Market
Source: BNY Mellon
J.P. Morgan Selected by Precidian Funds to Service the First U.S.-Listed Nikkei 225 ETF
July 13, 2011--J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services (WSS) today announced that it has been appointed by Precidian Funds LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Precidian Investments LLC, to provide fund administration, fund accounting and custody services to its newly launched MAXISa" Nikkei 225 Index exchange traded fund (ETF).
The MAXISa" Nikkei 225 Index Fund (nky:NYSE Arca), which began trading today, is the first U.S.-based Nikkei 225 ETF.
Precidian Investments, through an arrangement with Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co., Ltd., has been granted an exclusive license to establish the only U.S. Nikkei 225 ETF. The Nikkei 225 Index, the foremost Japanese equity benchmark, comprises 225 liquid stocks in the 1st section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. This index has been recognized around the globe as the premier index of Japanese stocks for the last 60 years.
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Source: J.P. Morgan Worldwide Securities Services
BMO ETFs Exceed $2.7 Billion in Assets Under Management
Only three months after hitting $2 billion, BMO sees 35 per cent increase
July 13, 2011--On the heels of the second anniversary since it introduced its own line of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)(i), BMO Financial Group today announced that its ETF business has grown to $2.7 billion in assets under management - an increase of 35 per cent in only three months - and is fast approaching $3 billion.
"When you have a series of investment products that are innovative, transparent, and establish a number of industry firsts, it's really no surprise that we're seeing this kind of success," said Kevin Gopaul, VP & CIO, BMO Asset Management Inc. (BMO AM). "Over the past two years, we have successfully met the demands of Canadian investors by offering a product portfolio that not only meets their needs, but surpasses their expectations."
Since its inception in June 2009, BMO AM's ETF product portfolio has grown to 40 funds which offer numerous benefits to investors, including lower costs, diversity and tax efficiencies, while covering a number of asset classes, sectors and regions.
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Source: BMO Financial Group
CIBC Mellon Appointed to Provide Asset Servicing for TSX-listed PowerShares ETFs
July 13, 2011--CIBC Mellon has been selected to provide a suite of asset servicing solutions for Invesco's recently-launched TSX-listed PowerShares exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
CIBC Mellon will deliver custody and fund administration services for PowerShares ETFs, with BNY Mellon providing performance and risk analytics.
"CIBC Mellon's exceptional solution for ETF servicing in Canada, their strong custody and fund administration services, and their dedication to client service led us to appoint CIBC Mellon as the asset servicing provider for our TSX-listed PowerShares ETFs," said Peter Intraligi, president and chief operating officer of Invesco's operations in Canada.
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Source: CIBC MELLON
Morningstar Reports U.S. Mutual Fund and ETF Asset Flows Through June 2011
July 13, 2011--Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research, today reported estimated U.S. mutual fund and exchange-traded fund asset flows through June 2011. Long-term mutual fund flows turned negative in June for the first time since December 2010, losing $4.5 billion after May inflows of $22.6 billion.
Risk-aversion reigned as investors pulled about $18.0 billion from U.S.-stock funds in June to mark the worst monthly outflow for the asset class since the peak of the credit crisis in October 2008. Investors lost their taste for credit risk, too, as they withdrew a net $6.3 billion from high-yield funds. U.S. ETFs saw inflows of $9.8 billion in June after outflows of $3.1 billion in May. Total U.S. ETF industry assets are up about 38 percent over the trailing 12 months.
Additional highlights from Morningstar's report on ETF flows:
U.S.-stock ETFs had inflows of $3.3 billion in June to top all ETF asset classes. U.S.-stock ETFs experienced the second-largest ETF asset class-level outflow of $2.7 billion last month, second only to commodities ETFs.
Investors added $2.4 billion to international-stock ETFs in June. Flows have changed direction almost monthly for this asset class, which saw outflows of $1.1 billion in May.
Commodities ETFs realized the largest monthly outflow of any ETF asset class for the second consecutive month. With redemptions of $892 million, commodities ETFs were also the only ETF asset class with outflows in June.
For the past four months, taxable-bond ETFs had contributed meaningfully to net U.S. ETF flows. The asset class saw inflows of $3.1 billion in June, its second-highest monthly inflow in the last 12 months.
view the July 2011
Morningstar DirectSM Fund Flows Update
OURCE Morningstar, Inc
IndexIQ Launches the First Exchange-Traded Fund Focused on Emerging Market Mid Cap Stocks (EMER)
IQ Emerging Markets Mid Cap ETF (nyse arca:EMER) allows ETF investors to isolate pure-play Emerging Market mid-cap exposure for the first time ever
July 13, 2011--IndexIQ, a leader in developing index-based commodity, international, and liquid alternative investment solutions, is launching the IQ Emerging Markets Mid Cap ETF (ticker:EMER) on the NYSE Arca platform this morning, it was announced today.
EMER is the first Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) dedicated to providing access to mid-cap Emerging Market equities and will do so via a "pure play" approach, meaning that all of the equities included in the fund's underlying index will be listed on an exchange in a less developed market in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
The fund will be diversified across both Emerging Market countries and industry sectors. As of May 31, 2011, the fund's underlying index contained exposures to Consumer Discretionary (18.69 percent), Financials (18.10 percent), Industrials (15.88 percent), Materials (13.28 percent), Technology (9.15 percent) and more.
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Source: IndexIQ
Van Eck Global Introduces CEF Municipal Income ETF
First ETF of closed-end municipal bond funds will allow investors to access the largest corner of the closed-end fund universe in a liquid, transparent way
July 13, 2011--New York-based asset manager Van Eck Global announced today that it has launched Market Vectors CEF Municipal Income ETF (NYSE Arca: XMPT), the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) to specifically focus on closed-end municipal bond funds, which make up the largest component of the closed-end fund (CEF) universe.
XMPT is intended to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the S-Network Municipal Bond Closed-End Fund Index℠ (CEFMX), an index composed of shares of municipal bond closed-end funds listed in the United States that are principally engaged in asset management processes designed to produce federally tax-exempt annual yield. The index had 88 constituents as of June 30, 2011, divided amongst four main sectors: leveraged municipal fixed-income CEFs (which made up 84.4 percent of the index’s constituents); unleveraged municipal fixed-income CEFs (8.85 percent); leveraged high-yield municipal fixed income CEFs (3.83 percent); and unleveraged high-yield municipal fixed-income CEFs (2.92 percent). The index methodology assigns a greater weight to closed-end funds trading at discounts, potentially enhancing yield and providing the opportunity for capital appreciation.
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Source: Van Eck
