April saw the launch of the first actively managed ETF with a dedicated cannabis investment mandate domiciled in the United States, the AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF, YOLO. Greater legalisation of marijuana across the world has boosted the sector.   »

New Vanguard research has identified distinctive behavioural trends among ETF investors, concluding that age and investment experience are the foremost drivers of ETF usage. ‘Early ETF adoption among self-directed investors’ examined the behaviour of more than five million retail investor households and revealed that older, more established investors with relatively complex portfolios tend to use ETFs to supplement other investments. At the other end of the spectrum, ETFs serve as the primary investment vehicle for millennials and new investors. »

A new survey, ‘Efficient Portfolio Management Techniques: Attribution of profits derived from Securities Lending by UCITS Exchange-Traded Funds’ from public interest NGO BETTER FINANCE reveals that ETF managers have diverse approaches to the income distribution from their securities lending transactions. »

Innovative investors looking for disruptive investment opportunities sums up the strategy behind ETF provider Amplify ETFs, whose track record in creating thematic ETFs spans from blockchain to online retail, to its latest launch which focuses on P2P lending. »

Space Investment Services LLC and S-Network Global Indexes, Inc have written a note on their new index , the S-Network Space Index, and its ETF, UFO, commenting that the global space economy is presently valued at over USD383.5 billion per year, according to the non-profit Space Foundation. »

Some 46 per cent of US asset managers has indicated that they would build out non-transparent ETF capabilities in the wake of the recent SEC announcement, with a further 55 per cent indicating that they would launch an equity strategy within a year. »

Kirsten Wegner, CEO of the Modern Markets Initiative, writes that news from the US came earlier this year that the New York Stock Exchange is preparing to hand human traders a bigger role making markets for exchange traded funds (ETFs). »