Nia Impact Capital, a women-led registered investment advisor, launched with the focus of helping wealth management professionals meet the growing demand for impact investing solutions.
The new firm was founded by impact investor Kristin Hull, who will act as CEO and chief investment officer.
"Nia Impact Capital is the next step in our evolution and is inspired by our mission to create world-class impact investing solutions with an emphasis on women," Hull said in a statement. "Our team is focused on supporting wealth professionals to meet the growing interest from their clients to align their wealth and their values."
The firm's flagship portfolio, Nia Global Solutions Equity Portfolio, seeks to deliver a competitive rate of return, while creating positive impact for investors. In 2017, the portfolio delivered a 37.59% return, outperforming the S&P 500 index by 15.77%.
Nia Global Solutions Equity Portfolio is designed to complement an advisor's existing equity strategy. It consists of 45 to 50 publicly traded stocks, and allocates capital to companies with diversity in its leadership. Typically, 65% or more of the portfolio is invested in small- and mid-cap stocks. The portfolio meets the firm's rigorous impact investing criteria, which includes a strong gender lens focus.
Direxion Advisors Launches New Suite of ETFs for Long-Term Investors
Direxion Advisors launched a new family of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Portfolio+ ETFs offer access to manageable levels of added daily exposure to magnify returns in a cost-effective, transparent, liquid structure.
The funds provide 25% added daily exposure to popular broad-based indexes targeted by advisors. The lightly leveraged solutions can be applied to common asset allocation strategies to seek greater upside potential over time. Although intended for use by investors who monitor their portfolios, their low leverage point allows them to be managed within a longer-term portfolio.
The funds include: Portfolio+ S&P 500 ETF (formerly Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bull 1.25X Shares), Portfolio+ S&P Mid Cap ETF, Portfolio+ S&P Small Cap ETF (formerly Direxion Daily Small Cap Bull 1.25X Shares), Portfolio+ Developed Markets ETF, Portfolio+ Emerging Markets ETF, and Portfolio+ Total Bond Market ETF.
Innovation Shares Launches NextGen Vehicles & Technology ETF
Innovation Shares launched a new ETF, the Innovation Shares NextGen Vehicles & Technology ETF (EKAR), that began trading on the NYSE Arca on Feb. 13.
EKAR's underlying index was constructed utilizing a natural language processing algorithm that screens for global stocks that have exposure to the theme of electric and self-driving/autonomous vehicles.
Exchange Traded Concepts will serve as the advisor for EKAR, which has an expense ratio of 65 basis points.
Horizons ETFs & Cadence Capital Management Launch Hedged US Dividend Yield ETF
Horizons ETFs Management in partnership with Cadence Capital Management launched a new hedged U.S. dividend yield ETF.
The Horizons Cadence Hedged US Dividend Yield ETF (USDY) is a multi-factor ETF designed to deliver yield, reduce volatility and manage downside risk through the use of index options.
USDY invests in the dividend-paying stocks of large-cap companies within the market capitalization range of the Russell 1000 Index. The new ETF focuses on factors such as financial quality, companies' history in meeting earnings and dividend targets and earnings quality to create its portfolio.
Hedging with index options seeks to provide lower overall portfolio volatility and enhance the risk-adjusted return profile for USDY. The hedge is achieved through a collar or sale of an out-of-the-money index call option with proceeds going to the purchase of an out-of-the-money index put option.
New York Life Launches New Whole Life Insurance Product
New York Life introduced Value Whole Life, a new lower-premium whole life product that gives policy owners guaranteed cash value with eligibility to receive future dividends.
The payment for Value Whole Life for a 50-year-old woman could be as much as 24% lower than standard whole life insurance policies available today (with a similar decline in cash value growth), according to New York Life.
"Value Whole Life is a beneficial whole life product for anyone with a need for permanent protection, but may be particularly attractive to many pre-retirees who are interested in leaving a legacy, but have continuing financial obligations such as mortgages and education," according to Alex Cook, senior vice president, New York Life.
BondWave Launches Prevailing Market Price (PMP) Waterfall Solution
