New products and changes introduced over the last week include an international ESG index fund from Pax World; a tactical fixed income fund from Innealta Capital; a global managed futures strategy fund from 361 Capital; a Korea ETF from Horizons ETFs; and new indexes from NASDAQ and Chaikin Analytics.
In addition, Pensco has expanded Bitcoin investment options in self-directed IRAs; StockViews has launched a new equity research platform; ALPS Portfolio Solutions announced a new ETF; and Abacus Group has announced a strategic partnership with LiquidityBook.
Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:
1) Pensco Expands Bitcoin Investment Options in Self-Directed IRAs
Pensco Trust Co. has announced that it will be expanding options in self-directed IRAs to invest in bitcoin. This comes in the wake of an IRS ruling that bitcoin will be subject to capital gains taxes.
Pensco clients can now establish a legal entity such as an LLC, and invest in bitcoin through that entity using their retirement funds. Pensco is currently evaluating other methods to allow self-directed investors and advisors to gain exposure to bitcoin.
2) ALPS Portfolio Group Announces New ETF
ALPS Portfolio Solutions has announced the launch of the newest ETF in its High-Dividend Sector Dividend Dogs Series, the ALPS Emerging Sector Dividend Dogs ETF (EDOG).
EDOG utilizes Dogs of the Dow Theory to select the five highest yielding securities on a sector-by-sector basis from S-Network Emerging Markets Index.
Pax World Management LLC, the investment advisor to Pax World Funds, has announced the launch of the Pax MSCI International ESG Index Fund (PXINX), a passively managed fund that seeks investment returns closely corresponding to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Europe Australasia Far East (EAFE) ESG Index. The Index consists of equity securities of issuers organized or operating in developed market countries around the world, excluding theU.S.andCanada, that have high sustainability or ESG ratings relative to their sector and industry group peers, as rated by MSCI ESG Research.
PXINX was formed by the merging of the Pax World International Fund (PXINX) and the Pax MSCI EAFE ESG Index ETF (EAPS). The new fund's institutional class shares will charge a unified management fee and total expense ratio of 0.55%. Individual investor class and class R shares each will charge a distribution fee that will increase the total expense ratio for these share classes to 0.80% and 1.05%, respectively.
4) Innealta Capital Launches Tactical Fixed Income Fund
Innealta Capital, a division of AFAM Capital, has announced the launch of the Innealta Capital Tactical Fixed Income Fund (YLDAX, YLDIX, YLDNX). The fund was created to potentially achieve risk-adjusted returns from exposure to a wide spectrum of fixed income securities. It is driven by a quantitative model that takes economic, fundamental, risk and technical analyses into consideration when evaluating the risk/reward potential of investing in various fixed income sectors, as represented within the ETF investment universe. Dr. Gerald Buetow, chief investment officer of Innealta Capital, is the fund's portfolio manager.
The fund invests in ETFs and exchange-traded notes (ETNs) that track fixed-income indices. Its investments may include bonds issued by governments, government agencies, municipalities and companies across a wide range of industries and market capitalizations in theU.S.and foreign markets, as well as asset-backed securities. Its quantitative investment framework attempts to control for both risk and yield at the portfolio level.
5) 361 Capital Launches Global Managed Futures Strategy Fund
