ETFs: US stocks lead the race

The situation is slightly calmer with regard to China's shares, which had lost significantly in recent weeks due to new market interventions by Beijing. ETFs such as the Xtrackers MSCI China (LU0514695690) have recently recovered somewhat. However, investors are still sitting on losses of 11 percent since the beginning of the year.

Water ETFs: Price increase of over 30 percent this year

At Lang & Schwarz, a lot of trading in sector index funds is currently revolving around water ETFs. "We are noticing a lot of buying there," reports Andreas Schröer. He cites Lyxor World Water (FR0010527275) and iShares Global Water (IE00B1TXK627) as examples. Both can boast a remarkable price performance: the Lyxor ETF is already up 30.5 percent this year after 20.3 percent p.a. in the past three years, the iShares ETF 32 percent since the beginning of the year and 20.4 percent p.a. over three years.

According to Schröer, there is also a lot going on in the iShares Global Clean Energy (IE00B1XNHC34). However, after an extremely good performance in 2020, it has lost significantly this year. Incidentally, the ETF was again one of the most traded ETFs on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the past five trading days.

Hurricane Ida boosts trading in oil ETFs

Schröer of Lang & Schwarz also reports high turnover for the iShares Oil & Gas Exploration & Production (IE00B6R51Z18), which tracks oil companies. Oil prices made another move higher last week to more than $70. "That's because of the concerns about Hurricane Ida," he said.

Société Générale clients, meanwhile, are buying technology and selling real estate (IE00B5L01S80) and healthcare (LU2082997516) ETFs. HSBC's real estate ETF on FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Development has recovered steadily since the spring 2020 slump, but has yet to regain pre-Corona levels. The ETF covers real estate companies from Western industrialized nations as well as Japan, China, Singapore and South Korea. The largest positions currently include the German real estate group Vonovia.

Euro government and corporate bonds traded briskly

Most traded bond ETFs on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange are currently the Xtrackers II iBoxx Eurozone Government Bond Yield Plus (LU0524480265) and the iShares EUR Corp Bond 1-5yr (IE00B4L60045). Société Générale clients buy Lyxor EUR 2-10Y Inflation Expectations (LU1390062245), which focuses on inflation-linked bonds, as well as short-dated bonds, and divest from euro corporate bonds and SRI-compliant euro corporate bonds (LU2037748774

All eyes on Bitcoin

In cryptocurrency ETN trading, according to Schröer, bitcoin trackers are in focus again this time, with the BTCetc - Bitcoin Exchange Traded Crypto (DE000A27Z304) buying and selling. Bitcoin has broken its recovery course, currently the price is at 47,767 US dollars, below the level a week ago. In April, the price had still been at 64,749 US dollars.

von: Anna-Maria Borse
31. August 2021, © Deutsche Börse AG