ETF trading values drop in August

10 September 2012
| By Staff |
image
image
expand image

Trading values dropped for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in August as investors' risk appetite took a tumble, according to BetaShares' ETF review.

Market volatility saw investor activity contract after a solid month of Australian equity buying in July, with trading values dropping 21 per cent for the month.

A slide in iron ore prices and fault lines in the traditionally robust resources sector were the culprits, according to BetaShares head of investment strategy Drew Corbett.

But a swell in underlying asset prices still drove 1.9 per cent growth in the ETF market, which reached a record peak of $5.5 billion in assets under management in August.

And international equities and USD ETFs - which received significant inflows - were still popular with investors who were positive on overseas markets and US currency, BetaShares said.

"The fund flows to international ETFs indicates investors believe it may be an opportune time to purchase overseas equities due to local currency strength and buying across the S&P 500 and global 100 ETFs," Corbett said.

Yield strategies still retained some appeal for investors over the month through high dividend and cash products, according to BetaShares.

Investors continued to favour commodities to diversify away from traditional equities strategies, Corbett said, and they were the best-performing ETFs for the month, with oil and non-precious metals constituting the top five for returns.

"Agriculture is up 30 per cent in the last three months, while August saw rallies in non-gold precious metals and oils," he said.

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest developments in Super Review! Anytime, Anywhere!

Grant Banner

From my perspective, 40- 50% of people are likely going to be deeply unhappy about how long they actually live. ...

1 year 3 months ago
Kevin Gorman

Super director remuneration ...

1 year 3 months ago
Anthony Asher

No doubt true, but most of it is still because over 45’s have been upgrading their houses with 30 year mortgages. Money ...

1 year 3 months ago

Cbus Super and its partner fund, Media Super, have sounded the alarm after a surge of suspicious login attempts on their websites, raising red flags just as other major A...

16 hours ago

A cyber security specialist has described the incidents as an attack on public trust in the superannuation system....

20 hours ago

Australian super fund leaders have flagged AI as a major force reshaping the global economy and investment landscape, stressing the importance of responsible use and long...

21 hours ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS

ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND