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In the first quarter of 2016, SIX Swiss Exchange recorded an ETF trading turnover of CHF 25.3 billion, which equates to an increase of 5.6 billion relative to the previous quarter. This was revealed today in the latest edition of ETF Quarterly Statistics[PDF]. There were 256'378 ETF transactions carried out on SIX Swiss Exchange in the first quarter. The average transaction size was CHF 98'603, corresponding to a slight increase quarter-on-quarter. At the same time, the number of transactions below CHF 10'000 increased by over 3'200 to 113'236, which indicates a growing interest for ETFs among private investors.
Most-traded products
In Q1, the iShares SMI (formerly CS ETF on SMI) took the lead once again as the most-traded ETF with CHF 1'387.9 million in turnover. The UBS ETF MSCI EMU hdg to USD captured second place in the previous quarter with trading turnover of CHF 782.2 million. iSHARES S&P 500 UCITS, which recorded the highest trading turnover in the previous quarter, ranked third at CHF 711.5 million. Of the most-traded products, 9 out of 20 track European equities, and are supplemented by, among others, PowerShares EQQQ Nasdaq 100 UCITS ETF (replication of the NASDAQ 100 Index), which ranks 13th and has a turnover of CHF 363.8 million. Two ZKB Gold ETFs in CHF and USD are also among the top 20, with turnover of CHF 312.0 million and CHF 316.1 million respectively.
High volatility on the markets
High volatility continued on the markets in the first quarter of the year. Heightened nervousness and fluctuations, together with commodities prices, which in some cases have seen a dramatic drop, a weakening economy in several emerging countries and increased political challenges in the Middle East have caused many investors to turn more to investments in precious metals. Among other things, this was reflected in increased trading turnover for both ZKB Gold ETFs in CHF and USD, which closed the first quarter with a turnover increase of 12.5% and 16.1% respectively.
1'208 listed ETFs
During the first quarter of 2016, a total of 93 new ETFs were listed on SIX Swiss Exchange. As of 31 March, the ETF segment thus encompassed 1'208 products, including 16 actively managed ETFs (a total of 341 are offered in an additional trading currency). The products are listed on the stock exchange by 21 providers, with liquidity provided by 23 official market makers. In March, Swiss Exchange welcomed a new ETF issuer in the form of Nomura NEXT FUNDS Ireland plc. The asset manager from Japan has four proprietary ETFs listed in various currencies on the Nikkei 225 and JPX Nikkei 400 and is also responsible for market making for the products. The four tradeable ETFs offer investors the opportunity to invest in the Japanese equity market with a currency hedge.
Pursuit is also a strategy - with ETFs on SIX Swiss Exchange
ETF Quarterly Statistics contains the most important facts and market data from SIX Swiss Exchange's ETF segment. Current information about market data, turnover and new listings can be found on SIX Swiss Exchange's website.
