New products and changes introduced over the last week include a restaurant ETF from ETF Managers Group, a SPDR ETF from State Street Global Advisors offering access to China A shares, a rebranding of Merk's physical gold ETF by Van Eck and private equity fund access through a multimanager fund vehicle from AMG Funds and Pantheon.
Also, UBS Wealth Management launched a real estate bubble index, AssetMark added eight investment programs from Clark Capital and Trust Company of America entered a strategic alliance with Jefferson National.
Here are the latest developments of interest to advisors:
1) BITE Hopes to Whet Investors' Appetites
ETF Managers Group launched an ETF that focuses exclusively on dining out. The BITE ETF is an equal-weighted index of restaurants and cafes that are publicly traded in the U.S. with a market cap of $200 million or greater and $1 million of daily average turnover. It is rebalanced semiannually, in June and December, and is currently comprised of 50 companies.
The companies reflect a variety of dining formats, including quick service Starbucks (SBUX), fast casual Chipotle (CMG), casual dining Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) and fine dining Ruth's Chris, part of Ruth's Hospitality Group (RUTH).
2) State Street Global Advisors Adds China A-Shares ETF
State Street Global Advisors launched the SPDR MSCI China A Shares IMI ETF (XINA), offering investors access to A-shares of companies incorporated in mainland China. Those companies represent approximately 51% of the Chinese equity market and until recently was available only to China-domiciled investors. XINA will be managed directly by State Street Global Advisors Asia Ltd., based in Hong Kong.
The ETF will track the performance of the MSCI China A International IMI Index, which captures large-, mid- and small-cap companies with A shares listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Exchanges. As of September 30, the index included 1795 stocks.
3) Merk Physical Gold ETF is Rebranded
Van Eck Global and Merk Investments LLC announced that Van Eck is now the marketing agent for the Van Eck Merk Gold Trust (OUNZ), previously known as the Merk Gold Trust.
OUNZ provides investors with a way to buy and hold gold through an ETF while also giving them the option to take physical delivery of gold if and when desired.
4) AMG Funds, Pantheon Team on Private Equity Fund Access
