Global ETF News Older than One Year
World Bank Prospects Group Global Monthly-April 2025
April 30, 2025--Overview
In a context of rising trade tensions and heightened policy uncertainty, private sector forecasters have revised down near-term growth forecasts markedly.
Global financial market volatility spiked in April amid shifts in trade policy.
Commodity prices declined substantially, reflecting concerns about weakening demand and, in some cases, ample supply.
Special Focus: Synchronization of Business Cycles in EMDEs and the Rest of the World
Emerging market and developing economies' (EMDEs') increasing trade and financial integration with the rest of the world over recent decades has been accompanied by greater comovement of economic activity across EMDEs.
Although EMDEs' business cycles are increasingly synchronized, GDP growth in EMDEs still tends to be more correlated with growth in advanced economies (AEs).
Growth variation across economies can be attributed to three factors: a global factor capturing common cyclical movements across all economies; a group factor specific to AEs or EMDEs; and a factor specific to each economy. For EMDEs, the group factor has become increasingly important.
Source: worldbank.org
World Gold Council-Surging gold ETFs fuel Q1 demand
April 30, 2025--The World Gold Council's Q1 2025 Gold Demand Trends report reveals total quarterly gold demand (including OTC1) was 1,206t, a 1% increase year-on-year, in a record high price environment, in which gold surpassed US$3,000/oz.
The gold ETF revival fuelled a more-than doubling of total investment demand to 552t, a 170% year-on-year increase and the highest since Q1 2022. ETF inflows accelerated around the world, totalling 226t in the first quarter as price momentum and tariff policy uncertainty drove investors to gold as a safe haven.
Source: World Gold Council
Falling Commodity Prices Could Mute Inflation Risks from Trade Tensions
April 29, 2025--Overview
Global Commodity Prices Expected to Drop to Six-Year Low by 2026
Faltering economic growth is coinciding with ample oil supply in ways that are expected to drop global commodity prices to their lowest level of the 2020s, according to the World Bank's latest Commodity Markets Outlook.
The decline could moderate near-term inflation risks emerging from rising trade barriers, but it could also hamper prospects for economic progress in two out of every three developing economies.
Global commodity prices are expected to tumble 12% in 2025, and an additional 5% in 2026, falling to levels not seen since 2020. In nominal terms, prices would still be higher than they were before the start of the pandemic. Adjusted for inflation, however, they are likely to fall for the first time below the average that prevailed from 2015 through 2019. That would mark the end of a boom fueled by the global economy's rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Source: worldbank.org
Deloitte Releases 2025 Financial Services Industry Predictions Report
April 24, 2025-Disruptive forces including evolving market dynamics and technology advancement may reshape banking and capital markets, investment management, insurance, and commercial real estate by 2030
Deloitte today released its "2025 Financial Services Industry Predictions" series, which outlines some of the most significant emerging trends across the financial services industry over the next three to five years. These insights provide a glimpse into the future, focusing on the potential impact of new technology adoption, evolving business models, and emerging investment opportunities.
Deloitte is predicting shifts across the financial services industry, as providers adapt to evolving customer behavior and demands. Doubling down on customer-centricity and scaling advanced technologies could help financial services firms innovate and be poised for transformational growth.
Source: Deloitte
Flow Traders 1Q 2025 Trading Update
April 24, 2025--Flow Traders 1Q 2025 Trading Update
Flow Traders Ltd. (Euronext: FLOW) announces its unaudited 1Q 2025 trading update
Highlights
Flow Traders recorded Net Trading Income of €140.2m and Total Income of €135.1m in 1Q25, an increase of 10% and 4% when compared to €127.1m and €129.6m in 1Q24, respectively.
Flow Traders' ETP Value Traded increased by 24% in 1Q25 to €507bn from €409bn in 1Q24.
Fixed Operating Expenses were €50.8m in the quarter, an increase of 15% when compared to the €44.1m in 1Q24, due mostly to increased employee and technology expenses.
Source: flowtraders.com
Rising Global Debt Requires Countries to Put their Fiscal House in Order
April 23, 2025--Amid heightened uncertainty, policymakers will need to deal with complex trade-offs between debt, slower growth, and new spending pressures
Major policy shifts underway have heightened global uncertainty. The series of recent tariff announcements by the United States, and countermeasures by other countries have increased financial market volatility, weakened growth prospects, and increased risks.
They come in the context of rising debt levels in many countries and already strained public finances, which in many cases will also need to accommodate new and permanent increases in spending, such as defense. Rising yields in major economies and widening spreads in emerging markets further complicate the fiscal landscape.
We project global public debt to increase by 2.8 percentage points this year-more than twice the estimates for 2024-pushing debt levels above 95 percent of gross domestic product. This upward trend is likely to continue, with public debt nearing 100 percent of GDP by the end of the decade, surpassing pandemic levels.
Source: IMF.org
ETFGI reports record Q1 net inflows of US$463.51 billion into the global ETFs industry
April 22, 2025-ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm renowned for its expertise in subscription research, consulting services, events, and ETF TV on global ETF industry trends, reports record Q1 net inflows of US$463.51 billion into the global ETFs, according to ETFGI's March 2025 Global ETFs and ETPs industry landscape insights report, the monthly report which is part of an annual paid-for research subscription service.
Highlights
Record Q1net inflows of $463.51 Bn, while the second highest Q1 net inflows were $397.51 Bn in 2024 and the third highest Q1 net inflows were of $360.72 Bn in 2021.
Net inflows of $158.81 Bn during March.
70th month of consecutive net inflows.
Assets of $15.19 Tn invested in the ETFs industry globally at the end of March, below the record high assets of $15.50 Tn at the end of February 2025.
Assets increased 1.6% YTD in 2025, going from $14.85 Tn at end of 2024 to $15.19 Tn.
Source: ETFGI
The Global Economy Enters a New Era
April 22, 2025-Amid trade tensions and high policy uncertainty, the path forward will be determined by how challenges are confronted and opportunities embraced
The global economic system under which most countries have operated for the last 80 years is being reset, ushering the world into a new era. Existing rules are challenged while new ones are yet to emerge.
Since late January, a flurry of tariff announcements by the United States, which started with Canada, China, Mexico and critical sectors, culminated with near universal levies on April 2. The US effective tariff rate surged past levels reached during the Great Depression while counter-responses from major trading partners significantly pushed up the global rate.
Source: IMF.org
IMF World Economic Outlook-A Critical Juncture amid Policy Shifts
April 22, 2025-Global growth is expected to decline and downside risks to intensify as major policy shifts unfold
After enduring a prolonged and unprecedented series of shocks, the global economy appeared to have stabilized, with steady yet underwhelming growth rates. However, the landscape has changed as governments around the world reorder policy priorities and uncertainties have climbed to new highs. Forecasts for global growth have been revised markedly down compared with the January 2025 World Economic Outlook (WEO) Update, reflecting effective tariff rates to levels not seen in a century and a highly unpredictable environment.
Global headline inflation is expected to decline at a slightly slower pace than what was expected in January.
Intensifying downside risks dominate the outlook, amid escalating trade tensions and financial market adjustments. Divergent and swiftly changing policy positions or deteriorating sentiment could lead to even tighter global financial conditions. Ratcheting up a trade war and heightened trade policy uncertainty may further hinder both short-term and long-term growth prospects. Scaling back international cooperation could jeopardize progress toward a more resilient global economy.
Source: IMF.org
IMF-Global Financial Stability Report-Enhancing Resilience amid Uncertainty
April 22, 2025-Global financial stability risks have increased significantly, driven by tighter global financial conditions and heightened trade and geopolitical uncertainty. Against the heightened volatility of asset prices, Chapter 1 assesses that global financial stability risks have increased significantly.
This assessment is supported by three key forward-looking vulnerabilities: (i) valuations remain high in some key markets; (ii) some highly leveraged financial institutions and their nexus with banking systems; and (iii) risks of market turmoil and challenges to debt sustainability for highly indebted sovereigns.
Source: IMF.org
