Weekly roundup: SPDR S&P 500 re-claims top spot; Finra backs gold ETFs

ETFM brings you a round-up of some of this week's ETF news.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) has re-claimed its title as the world's largest ETF after it was toppled last week by the SPDR Gold ETF (GLD).

GLD momentarily became the world's largest ETF as its assets reached US$77.5bn on 19 August. However, the SPDR S&P 500 re-staked its claim to the top spot this week and at close of business on 23 August, it had assets of $79.6 billion, while GLD slipped to $75.9 bn.

This is likely to keep fluctuating, according to a spokesperson from State Street Global Advisors, the asset manager behind the SPDR branded ETFs.

The US' Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (Finra) has issued a warning about gold investments while upholding ETFs as a lower risk way of investing in gold.

In an investor alert Finra stated: "While you may be tempted to invest in a single stock, it is very risky to put all your 'golden eggs' in one basket.

"Investing through a mutual fund or exchange traded fund (ETF) that focuses on gold companies or gold itself can help spread out and potentially lower your risk."

The Singapore Stock Exchange has introduced new measures to make it easier for investors to identify the structure of ETFs listed there.

All synthetic ETFs will be tagged with an 'X', a measure already adopted in Hong Kong

In a statement the exchange said: "Recent attention given to the embedded risks of synthetic replication exchange traded funds (ETFs) has raised awareness on the importance of understanding the structures, features and risks of a product for informed investment decisions."

Vanguard filed with the Canadian securities regulator on Monday to launch its first ETFs in Canada. The six funds will track US and Canadian equities, Canadian bonds and emerging and other developed equities.

Index provider Stoxx has introduced new measures to enhance the liquidity of its indexes in what it says is a reaction to the fast-moving and volatile markets. The measures include the introduction of a fast entry rule for its regional blue chip and new liquidity screening for index components.