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This communication is made by ETF Securities Marketing LLP of 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Buildings, London EC2M 5UU. Any references in the following document to ETF Securities Limited making this communication should be construed as references to ETF Securities Marketing LLP.

With effect from 1 January 2011, ETFS Management Company (Jersey) Limited has replaced ETF Securities Limited as the Product Manager of each of ETFS Commodity Securities Limited, ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited, ETFS Industrial Metal Securities Limited, ETFS Metal Securities Limited, ETFS Oil Securities Limited and Gold Bullion Securities Limited. Any references in the following document to ETF Securities Limited shall be construed as references to ETF Securities Management Company (Jersey) Limited. ETFS Management Company (Jersey) Limited is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. ETF Securities Marketing LLP is not regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission.

This communication is provided for your general information only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any investment. The terms and conditions applicable to investors will be set out in the relevant Prospectus.

Nothing in this communication is advice on the merits of any product or investment. Nothing in this communication constitutes investment, legal, tax or any other advice nor is it to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. You should take your own independent investment, tax and legal advice as you think fit.

This communication is directed only at persons who: (a) are outside the European Economic Area; or (b) are investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "FPO"), who have professional experience in matters relating to investments; or (c) are high net worth organisations falling within Article 49(2) of the FPO (broadly, companies or partnerships with net assets of £5m sterling or more and trustees of trusts with assets of £10m or more); or (d) are persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "exempt persons"). This communication must not be acted upon or relied on by persons who are not exempt persons.
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Download Document

Important notice

This communication is made by ETF Securities Marketing LLP of 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Buildings, London EC2M 5UU. Any references in the following document to ETF Securities Limited making this communication should be construed as references to ETF Securities Marketing LLP. With effect from 1 January 2011, ETFX Investment Management LLP has replaced ETF Securities Limited as the Promoter of the Company. Any references in the following document to ETF Securities Limited (other than references to ETF Securities Limited making this communication) shall be construed as references to ETFX Investment Management LLP. ETFX Investment Management LLP is not regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission but is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority. ETF Securities Marketing LLP is not regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission.

This communication is provided for your general information only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any investment. The terms and conditions applicable to investors will be set out in the relevant Prospectus.

Nothing in this communication is advice on the merits of any product or investment. Nothing in this communication constitutes investment, legal, tax or any other advice nor is it to be relied on in making an investment or other decision. You should take your own independent investment, tax and legal advice as you think fit.

This communication is directed only at persons who: (a) are outside the European Economic Area; or (b) are investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the United Kingdom Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "FPO"), who have professional experience in matters relating to investments; or (c) are high net worth organisations falling within Article 49(2) of the FPO (broadly, companies or partnerships with net assets of £5m sterling or more and trustees of trusts with assets of £10m or more); or (d) are persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "exempt persons"). This communication must not be acted upon or relied on by persons who are not exempt persons.
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NEWS


ETF Securities to expand Currency ETC platform with 22 new Currency ETCs including Europe’s first listing of emerging market currencies

  • Four new emerging market Currency ETCs with long or short exposure to the Chinese Renminbi and Indian Rupee
  • 18 new GBP-based Currency ETCs with long or short exposure to G10 currencies
  • 28 existing Currency ETCs accumulate $200m on London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse
  • Exposure to world’s most liquid asset class through a total of 50 Currency ETCs
London, 14 June, 2010 - ETF Securities (ETFS), the global pioneer in Exchange Traded Commodities (Commodity ETCs) and 3rd generation Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) is planning to expand the world’s largest and Europe’s first Exchange Traded Currency (Currency ETCs) platform with the launch of four emerging market and 18 GBP-based Currency ETCs on London Stock Exchange (LSE) in the coming weeks. The Currency ETCs are based on the MSFXSM Index Family, which are designed by Morgan Stanley as a tradable benchmark for foreign exchange rate performance.

For the first time in Europe, investors will have access to emerging market Currency ETCs which enable investors to go long or short the Chinese Renminbi (CNY) or the Indian Rupee (INR). Since launching its Currency ETC platform, ETF Securities has received significant interest for emerging market currencies such as the Chinese Renminbi and the Indian Rupee, which are traditionally difficult to access for non-domestic investors.

With booming local economies, investment demand for emerging market equities, bonds and currencies continues to grow. Many emerging market currencies are not accessible to foreign investors due to restrictions or capital controls however foreign investors are able to access these markets through Non Deliverable Forward (NDF) contracts and now Currency ETCs.

Currency ETCs and NDFs provide access to otherwise inaccessible markets. NDF markets are impacted by many factors including expectations of the relevant exchange rates and central bank policies. Therefore even though a currency such as the Chinese Renminbi is pegged to the US Dollar (USD), it is possible for emerging market Currency ETCs to change in price. For example, if there is a change in investor's expectations regarding the Chinese Renminbi such that CNY is expected to appreciate versus USD at some point in the near future, then the price of ETFS Long CNY Short USD would likely rise, and the value of ETFS Short CNY Long USD would likely fall.

In addition, 18 long and short developed market G-10 Currency ETCs versus GBP will be added to the platform, complementing the existing 28 long and short G-10 Currency ETCs versus USD and the Euro. The new Currency ETCs versus GBP will offer greater choice and flexibility for local investors, enabling them to take long or short exposures against the British Pound. With the British Pound being weighed down by debt and default concerns in the current environment, investors will be able to use new Currency ETCs such as ETFS Long USD Short GBP (GBUS) or ETFS Long CHF Short GBP (GBCH) to play the relative safety of the US Dollar or the Swiss Franc versus GBP.

The 22 new securities to be listed on the London Stock Exchange are:

Emerging Market Currencies vs. USD

Security Name LSE Code Security Name LSE Code
ETFS Short EUR Long USD LCNY ETFS Short CNY Long USD SCNY
ETFS Long INR Short USD LINR ETFS Short INR Long USD SNIR

G-10 Currencies vs. GBP

Security Name LSE Code Security Name LSE Code
ETFS Long AUD Short GBP GBAU ETFS Short AUD Long GBP AUGB
ETFS Long CAD Short GBP GBCA ETFS Short CAD Long GBP CAGB
ETFS Long CHF Short GBP GBCH ETFS Short CHF Long GBP CHGB
ETFS Long EUR Short GBP GBUR ETFS Short EUR Long GBP URGB
ETFS Long JPY Short GBP GBJP ETFS Short JPY Long GBP JPGB
ETFS Long NOK Short GBP GBNO ETFS Short NOK Long GBP NOGB
ETFS Long NZD Short GBP GBNZ ETFS Short NZD Long GBP NZGB
ETFS Long SEK Short GBP GBSK ETFS Short SEK Long GBP SKGB
ETFS Long USD Short GBP GBUS ETFS Short USD Long GBP USGB

Currency ETCs are designed to replicate a fully collateralised long or short investment in either deliverable forward contracts (in the case of developed market currencies) or non deliverable forward contracts (in the case of emerging market currencies). All Currency ETCs are fully collateralised in order to mitigate counter-party risk and listed in the ETC segment of the LSE.

Currency ETCs are intended for investors wishing to diversify their portfolio through the addition of a new asset class which has a low correlation with equities and bonds, or for those investors wanting to take advantage of tactical or strategic macro opportunities using the foreign exchange market. To date, Currency ETCs exposed to JPY, AUD, GBP and EUR have been the most popular. Since the launch of the Currency ETCs in November 2009, assets have grown to approximately $200 million 4th June 2010 and average monthly trading volumes have risen strongly, up over 970% since start of 2010 .

Nik Bienkowski, Chief Operating Officer, commenting on the launch, said:

“Currencies have been around for many centuries, however until the turn of the 20th century, investors focused primarily on equities and bonds. With today’s financial crisis continuing and the poor performance of equities over the past ten years, we’ve seen that investors are looking for liquid and transparent markets and thus currencies are starting to appear on their radar screens. In addition, currencies are driven by the macro environment which has shown high volatility in the past few years, and because currencies are valued relative to other currencies, therefore if one goes up then the other must go down. Thus depending on whether an investor has gone long or short, an investor can potentially profit regardless of market direction”.

Martin Arnold, Senior Research Analyst, commenting on the launch, said:

“Strong growth in recent years has forced policymakers to tighten monetary policy to contain inflationary pressures in certain Asian emerging countries. The Chinese Renminbi has appreciated by approximately 18% versus USD over the past five years against a back drop of 8% to 12% p.a. GDP growth in China and one of the worst financial crises ever in the United States. Over the same period, the Indian Rupee has slightly depreciated against USD despite India’s 6% to 10% p.a. GDP growth. Further rate hikes and currency revaluations might be expected for these two economies which are dominating growth in the region. Currency ETCs tracking emerging NDF markets, namely the Chinese Renminbi and the Indian Rupee, provide an investment vehicle to take advantage of potential policy changes”.

In the current environment the critical issue from a UK perspective is the parlous fiscal situation: while the newly formed Coalition British government is cognisant of the importance of reducing the deficit, the key is the implementation of effective policy. Investors appear to be growing confident that this can happen. However, against other G10 currencies like the Norwegian Krone, where fiscal problems are non-existent, the outlook for GBP looks somewhat more bleak. A similarly bleak outlook could be in store for GBP against the New Zealand Dollar, where rate hikes are increasingly expected. Being able to trade GBP against other G10 currencies through Currency ETCs now offer investors additional flexibility.”


Commenting, Pietro Poletto, Head of Fixed Income at London Stock Exchange Group, said:

"London has long been the global centre for foreign exchange trading, with an unparalleled pool of investors and expertise. The products launched on the London Stock Exchange today will enhance that status by offering a new way to access increasingly significant and sought after currencies from around the world. Currencies like the Indian Rupee and the Chinese Remnimbi, not previously tradable on a stock exchange, can now be traded in a new way in the world's foreign exchange capital.

The products launched today will further diversify the range of instruments hosted by London Stock Exchange Group which as well as hosting Europe's first suite of Currency ETCs, is Europe's leading ETP exchange, hosting more trades than any other operator, and listing over 700 products across London and Milan."


Notes to Editors:

ETF Securities is a provider of Exchange Traded Commodities (ETCs) and 3rd generation Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). The management of ETF Securities pioneered the development of ETCs, with the world's first listing of an ETC, Gold Bullion Securities in Australia and London in 2003 and then the world's first entire ETC platform which was listed on the London Stock Exchange in September 2006.

The Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) above provide investors with a wide variety of investment strategies, with ETPs offering resource equities, physical, long, forward, leveraged and short exposure to all commodity sectors and now Emerging Market and G10 Currencies.

ETPs are simple to access as they are traded in five currencies (EUR, USD, GBP, AUD and JPY) and listed across eight major exchanges globally including the London Stock Exchange Group (London Stock Exchange and Borsa Italiana), the New York Stock Exchange, the Tokyo Stock Exchange, NYSE-Euronext Paris, NYSE-Euronext Amsterdam, Deutsche Börse, and the Australian Securities Exchange.

Currency ETCs provide accurate and transparent currency exposure to recognised benchmarks in a single trade. In addition, Currency ETCs require no foreign currency account and no trading or management of futures/forward contracts as ETCs are simply priced off new currency indices published by Morgan Stanley.

For further information, please contact: ETF Securities’ press office on:
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7448 4330
Email: press@etfsecurities.com

ETF Securities Conference Call:

Morgan Stanley FX Analysis: The Outlook for Currencies 2010


Date: Tuesday 15th June 2010
Time: 11:00am and 15:00pm London Time

Special Guest Speakers: Special Guest Speakers: Andrew Baptiste, Managing Director - Chief Currency Technical Analyst, Morgan Stanley

This call will discuss:

  • How divergent monetary policy and other factors are giving the dollar an upward bias
  • What a strengthening dollar and widening yield spreads imply for foreign exchange as an asset class
  • Question and Answer Session
To register your place today: http://www.etfsecurities.com/en/events/etfs_events_calls.asp

Bio:

Andrew joined Morgan Stanley in 1999. Prior to this, he was the head currency technical analyst at JP Morgan in 1985-1999. He has also worked at the International Monetary Exchange, COMEX. Andrew studied throughout the 80's and 90's with Elliott Wave International in Georgia and has actively followed and dissected the foreign exchange markets for 20 years using the Elliott Wave Principle as his primary methodology.

About ETFS Currency ETCs:

The first 18 Currency ETCs were listed on the LSE on the 12th November 2009 and track MSFX Currency IndicesSM. Since inception, the Currency ETCs have rapidly generated interest with eight liquidity providers signing up and four Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs) to provide investors access to these new securities. Further 10 Euro-based Currency ETCs were listed on the Deutsche Boerse (Xetra) on the 10th March 2010, and four Emerging Market and 18 GBP-based Currency ETCs are planned to be launched on LSE in the coming weeks.

Similar to Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), ETCs are liquid, accessible and simple. ETCs can be created and redeemed on a continuous basis by market makers, matching the tremendous liquidity of the underlying foreign exchange markets but traded on a regulated exchange in the same way as an equity. Historically, the average daily turnover of the global FX market is about $3.2 trillion which compares to the average daily turnover of $450 billion for global equities, $48 billion for the New York Stock Exchange and $6 billion for the London Stock Exchange. Thus currencies are considered much more liquid than equities.

ETF Securities launched the Currency ETC platform due to investor demand for secure, transparent and liquid exchange traded products. Currency ETCs are fully collateralised. The total value of Currency ETCs outstanding is backed by between 100% and 110% of Eligible Collateral held in a segregated Custody Account with BNY Mellon. The value of the Currency ETCs and Eligible Collateral are marked to market daily so that at the end of the previous trading day, all Currency ETCs are fully backed to minimise counterparty risks.

Currency ETCs are backed by the same eligible collateral criteria as ETF Securities’ existing Commodity ETCs. With ETF Securities’ Commodity ETC assets having grown by approximately 150% in 2009 to nearly $20 billion and volumes having quadrupled to around $2 billion per week, it is clear that investors have widely accepted the ETC structure as a secure vehicle of choice for exposure to commodities. As a result, the ETC product structure has been replicated to include currencies.

To learn more about ETF Securities go to: www.etfsecurities.com

Disclaimer:

This press release was issued by ETF Securities Marketing LLP for journalists in the United Kingdom. The products discussed in this document (the “Securities”) are issued by ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited (“FXL”) which is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. The United Kingdom Listing Authority is the ‘home regulator’ FXL for purposes of passporting its prospectus under the Prospectus Directive.

The communication of this press release is not being made by, and this press release has not been approved by, an authorised person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA"). Accordingly this press release is not being distributed to, and must not be passed on to, the general public in the United Kingdom.

This press release appears as a matter of record only and does not constitute an offer to sell or an invitation to purchase any securities. It includes independent market commentary prepared by ETFSM based on publicly available information. It does not constitute financial product advice nor should be construed as an offer for sale or utilised as the basis for any investment decision. Although ETFSM endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the content in this communication, ETFSM does not warrant or guarantee its accuracy or correctness. Where ETFSM has expressed its own opinions related to product or market activity, these views may change.

Important information is contained in the FXL prospectus and other documents, copies of which can be obtained by calling +44 (0)20 7448 4330 or by e-mail at info@etfsecurities.com.

None of the index providers of the products referred to herein nor their licensors make any warranty or representation whatsoever either as to the results obtained from use of the relevant indices and/or the figures at which such indices stand at any particular day or otherwise. None of the index providers shall be liable to any person for any errors or significant delays in the relevant indices nor shall be under any obligation to advise any person of any error or significant delay therein.

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN, INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN OR TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN THE UNITED KINGDOM OR JERSEY. THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT A PROSPECTUS BUT AN ADVERTISEMENT AND INVESTORS SHOULD NOT SUBSCRIBE FOR ANY TRANSFERABLE SECURITIES REFERRED TO IN THIS PRESS RELEASE EXCEPT ON THE BASIS OF INFORMATION IN THE PROSPECTUS

Index disclaimer: The Morgan Stanley Indices are the exclusive property of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated ("Morgan Stanley"). Morgan Stanley and the Morgan Stanley index names are service mark(s) of Morgan Stanley or its affiliates and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by the Issuer and ETF Securities Limited. The financial securities referred to herein are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by Morgan Stanley, and Morgan Stanley bears no liability with respect to any such financial securities. The Prospectus contains a more detailed description of the limited relationship Morgan Stanley has with the Issuer and any related financial securities. No purchaser, seller or holder of this product, or any other person or entity, should use or refer to any Morgan Stanley trade name, trademark or service mark to sponsor, endorse, market or promote this product without first contacting Morgan Stanley to determine whether Morgan Stanley's permission is required. Under no circumstances may any person or entity claim any affiliation with Morgan Stanley without the prior written permission of Morgan Stanley.