Smartshares, NZX’s Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) business, is pleased to announce it has registered two prospectuses for the launch of four new ETFs to complement its existing 19 Smartshares ETFs.
The new ETFs will give investors the opportunity to invest in New Zealand bonds and cash, global bonds and New Zealand listed property businesses.
NZX Head of Funds Management Aaron Jenkins commented: “Smartshares is committed to developing a vibrant ETF market that provides New Zealand investors with a range of diverse, low-cost and easily accessible investment options. These four new Smartshares ETFs mean investors now have access to a comprehensive selection of global and domestic ETFs across the main investment asset classes of Cash, Bonds, Shares and Property.”
The new Smartshares ETFs are:
1. Global Bond Trust (GBT) – invests in global interest bearing assets, bonds and other global securities, benchmarked against the Barclays Global Aggregate Index and hedged in NZD
2. New Zealand Bond Trust (NZB) – invests in New Zealand interest bearing assets, including a range of fixed income securities, benchmarked against the S&P/NZX A-Grade Corporate Bond Index
3. New Zealand Cash Trust (NZC) – invests in New Zealand short term interest bearing assets, as well as other cash and cash equivalent investments, benchmarked against the NZX 90-Day Bank Bill Index
4. New Zealand Property Trust (NPF) – invests in a selection of the largest NZX-listed property businesses and seeks to track the performance of the S&P/NZX Real Estate Select Index
Smartshares ETFs are listed funds that aim to provide a return to unitholders that closely matches the return on a specific market index such as the New Zealand Property Trust, or outperform a benchmark index such as the Global Bond Trust, New Zealand Bond Trust and New Zealand Cash Trust. The new funds announced today will complement Smartshares’ existing suite of 19 ETFs, which comprises:
• New Zealand Dividend (DIV)
• Australian Resources (ASR)
• Australian Financials (ASF)
• Australian Property (ASP)
• Australian Dividend (ASD)
• New Zealand Top 50 (FNZ)
• New Zealand Top 10 (TNZ)
• Australian Top 20 (OZY)
• Australian Mid Cap (MZY)
• New Zealand Mid Cap (MDZ)
• US 500 Trust (USF)
• Europe Trust (EUF)
• Asia Pacific Trust (APA)
• Emerging Markets Trust (EMF)
• Total World Trust (TWF)
• US Large Value Trust (USV)
• US Large Growth Trust (USG)
• US Mid-Cap Trust (USM)
• US Small-Cap Trust (USS)
Following quotation of the new ETFs, expected to commence on 12 November 2015, investors will be able to review an investment statement (which will be available at www.smartshares.co.nz) and apply online.
Smartshares has applied to the Special Division of the NZ Markets Disciplinary Tribunal (which regulates Smartshares in place of NZX) for permission to quote the units in the new funds on the NZX Main Board. However, the Special Division accepts no responsibility for any statement in this announcement or in respect of the offer. The NZX Main Board is a licensed market operated by NZX Limited, a licensed market operator regulated under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.
