Weekly roundup: iShares lists low volatility ETFs; Stoxx ex-financials and banks indices

ETFM provides a roundup of some of this week's ETF and indexing news.

iShares has launched a suite of low volatility ETFs, which are designed to manage risk in equity exposures.

The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets MinimumVolatility Index Fund, iShares MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility Index Fund, iShares MSCI USA Minimum Volatility Index Fund and the iShares MSCI All Country World Minimum Volatility Index Fund are listed in New York.

Passive volatility reduction strategies are gaining interest as a result of events in 2008 and then the return to high volatility this year, which have highlighted the benefits of such strategies.

Stoxx has created a set of ex-financials and ex-banks indices for Europe and the euro zone. The indices exclude all companies which are part of the Industry Classification Benchmark's (ICB) industry financials of the supersector banks, respectively.

They track corresponding existing Stoxx indices excluding the relative stocks.

They are designed for benchmarking purposes but also to be used as an underlying for financial products.

ETF provider First Trust has selected Standard and Poor's to develop a range of global, custom indices. The indices will be part of First Trust's Defined Index Series, a modified equal weighted index series will be part of their Defined Index Series, which objectively identify and select stocks from the S&P Global BMI that may generate positive alpha relative to traditional passive indices through the use of the AlphaDEX screening methodology.