Exchange-traded funds

Discretionary exchange-traded fund portfolios, commonplace in markets such as the US, are now growing in popularity in this region.

Use of exchange-traded funds remains low in Asia Pacific, according to Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management’s annual Asian ETF survey.

The US exchange-traded funds provider has begun marketing its products to professional and institutional investors in the territory.

UBS Global Asset Management has appointed exchange-traded funds veteran Sammy Yip in a newly created role as it seeks to build out its ETF business.

A panel hosted by AsianInvestor discussed this and other issues around exchange-traded funds, such as how Asian ETFs can move beyond a concentration on China products.

Issuers of new types of exchange-traded products in Hong Kong can face challenges in respect of hedging and trading their positions, said participants at a recent roundtable.

There is a surfeit of traditional China equity exchange-traded funds when investors actually want more specialised products, panellists said at the Inside ETFs Asia forum.

The bank's db X-trackers unit is set to launch a suite of physically backed ETFs, but says its aim has always been to provide a supermarket selection and the move is not solely related to flows.

The question remains, however, as to whether Joseph Ho will stay with BlackRock once it acquires Credit Suisse’s ETF business.

The change comes as Deutsche Bank combines its asset management arm with its private wealth business in a restructuring and rebranding exercise.

The city's stock exchange moves to allow more than one ETF manager to track the same index to foster greater competition and sustainable market growth.

The combination of anaemic ETF trading volumes and rising funding costs means market-makers need to find a niche to survive in Asia’s heavily brokered markets.