Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
Tapping the Source
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch took a look at the exchange-traded product market, particularly in Europe, and decided that to enter as a provider they needed scale. So the three got together and created Source. Richard…
Wrap it up and start again
Marketing structured products is a tough challenge, with both nascent and established markets battered by the Lehman Brothers collapse. Meanwhile, providers must also adapt their techniques to suit interactive and online channels, and be increasingly…
'X' marks the spot
In a little over two years, DB x-trackers has captured an impressive 17% share of Europe's ETF market. With an existing portfolio of more than 100 products, the provider now plans to expand its offering in Asia while developing new product types such as…
Safe haven
Gold has been a favourite with investors looking for a safe haven since last year’s turbulence began. But will this persist in 2009, or will the precious metal start to lose its shine as a hedging option? Pauline McCallion finds out
The pause before paradise?
If you think markets are finally at the bottom, this could be the time to start making the switch from cash. You could also plump for credit products in 2009. All that is required is a return of stability, meaning no more horror stories. But how likely…
Lost shine
Gold
Bust beneficiaries
Exchange-traded funds
Stepping on the brakes
Much like other structured products that came of age during the past decade, the market crash of 2008 was the first serious test of how exchange-traded funds would react in a bear market. But while the surge in issuance has continued in Europe and Asia,…
A focus on funds
The Italian structured products market is shrinking in the global financial crisis, while exchange-traded funds race ahead. Traditional methods of guaranteeing structured products were brought into question at the Structured Products Milan conference,…
Exchanging places?
Assets under management in European-domiciled mutual funds have plunged more than EUR60 billion this year, while exchange-traded funds have seen healthy capital inflows of over EUR20 billion. With the pattern repeated in the US as traditional asset…