Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEx) is offering investors more choices in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) with the listing of the market’s first global and regional equity ETFs today (Wednesday), and the listing of the first ETFs on US equities (Nasdaq stocks) and commodities next week.

The above ETFs are among the following six being introduced in Hong Kong this month by Lyxor International Asset Management (Lyxor), a subsidiary of Societe Generale Group and a leading manager of ETFs listed in Europe: 

New Hong Kong-listed ETFs

As passively-managed exchange-traded investment instruments, ETFs can offer investors advantages such as diversification, transparency, low management fees, intra-day trading, short selling and efficient settlement. 

The ETF market in Hong Kong is the largest in Asia-Pacific excluding Japan with average daily turnover of over $500 million according to statistics published by the World Federation of Exchanges. 

In recent years, ETFs have grown rapidly in Hong Kong and major overseas markets. In addition to the two additions from Lyxor today, the nine ETFs below are currently listed on HKEx’s securities market.  At the end of this month, there will be 15 ETFs listed in Hong Kong, the nine below and the six Lyxor funds.    

“We believe innovation is important for the future growth of the Hong Kong securities market as well as HKEx,” Eric Yip, HKEx’s Head of Cash Market, said.  “Business expansion is a core part of our Strategic Plan for 2007 to 2009 and we are committed to further developing the ETF market based on the very successful platform we have already established.   We will facilitate new and existing fund managers to expand their presence and launch new products in Hong Kong.”