.jpg)
FTSE Group (“FTSE”), the award winning global index provider, and Emerging Portfolio Funds Research (“EPFR Global “), the industry standard for global fund flows data, have today launched a new emerging market focused index - the FTSE EPFR EM Fund Flows Index.
The FTSE-EPFR index, a factor-adjusted version of the FTSE Emerging Index, is the first to overlay 'country flows' data on top of a market cap weighted index. Country flows data tracks investment allocation and flows in funds covering stock markets in developed and emerging countries. The new index gives investors a clearer picture of how these factors are driving emerging markets and can help improve portfolio performance by influencing an investor’s country weight adjustments.
Emerging markets constitute a growing fraction of investor portfolios and the new FTSE-EPFR index is aimed at improving country allocations within emerging market equity portfolios. Asset owners and institutional investors globally can use the FTSE EPFR Index to enhance their emerging markets portfolio, based on recommended country weights linked to countries’ investment flows Country investment flows combine fund flow and country weight data to track the flow of money into world stock markets. The fund flow data tracks the amount of cash flowing in and out of thousands of ETFs and mutual funds monitored by EPFR world-wide, while the country weights data tracks fund managers’ portfolio allocations at month-end across various emerging markets. Combining these two data sets gives a timely measure of portfolio flows in and out of individual emerging markets. The index country weightings will be revised quarterly based on the country flows data.
EPFR tracks global flows into and out of emerging markets from the US, Europe, and other regions, providing a more complete view of foreign investor demand.
“The new index will enable investors to further develop their interest in emerging markets”, said Mark Makepeace, CEO, FTSE Group. “FTSE is pleased to work with EPFR Global in creating this timely and valuable addition to our range of investment strategy indices.”
EPFR’s Managing Director, Simon Ringrose commented, “Fund flows are an important element in the investment process. Partnering with FTSE, EPFR Global is delighted to offer emerging market equity investors a tool to help improve country selection.”
The index was developed using FTSE’s internationally recognised robust index rules and methodology.
