• Page 1: New ETF listings
• Page 2: ETF industry statistics including weekly performance update
• Page 3: The complete list of ETFs (and ETNs) in registration

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NEW LISTINGS

BGI Rolls Out Asia Ex-Japan ETF – Emerging Markets Included

Barclays Global Investors launched the iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex-Japan Index ETF (NasdaqGM: AAXJ) on August 14.

The fund provides exposure to nine Asian markets: China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore. It blends developed and emerging markets and, as its name would imply, excludes Japan. The developed markets, South Korea and Singapore, account for nearly 28% of the underlying MSCI benchmark's constituents, with China the largest country in terms of representation at roughly 23% of the index.

AAXJ tracks 218 of the 559 constituents in the MSCI All-Country Asia ex-Japan Index.

It charges an expense ratio of 0.74%.

Read the prospectus here.

NEW FILINGS

New ETF Provider Files For Nordic ETF

Global X Management, a would-be ETF provider, has filed for at least one fund.

The Global X FTSE Nordic 30 ETF would track the FTSE Nordic 30 Index, which is a subset of the FTSE All-World Nordic Region Index and covers the markets of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

Although the proposed ETF does not appear to have any unusual characteristics, it could end up with the distinction of being the first Nordic ETF to hit the market. There aren’t any trading on U.S. markets currently, and there don’t appear to be any others in registration.

Read the filing for the fund here.

OTHER NEWS

PowerShares Quashes 6 Funds In Registration

Invesco PowerShares has filed “amendment withdrawals” with the SEC on a number of its ETFs in registration with the explanation that it has decided not to proceed with the registration of the funds.

The filings affect six different funds. The PowerShares Dynamic Brand Name Products Portfolio, PowerShares REIT Preferred Portfolio, PowerShares Value Line 400 Portfolio, PowerShares Autonomic Allocation Research Affiliates Portfolio, PowerShares India Tiger Portfolio and PowerShares NASDAQ Dividend Achievers Portfolio will not be brought to market. Interestingly, PowerShares already has a fund covering the Indian market, so the firm apparently decided against offering a similar fund. The PowerShares India Portfolio (NYSEArca: PIN) launched in March.

The group of funds by no means represents the bulk of PowerShares’ ETFs in registration though, and most of the targeted unhatched funds have languished in registration for some time. There are still plenty more PowerShares ETFs waiting in the wings for their launch dates.

ETF Data Watch

Note: These numbers refer only to U.S. ETFs and ETNs. Data as of August 18, 2008, from the American Stock Exchange, unless otherwise noted.

Pure Numbers
Total number of ETFs listed in the U.S.: 722
Total number of ETNs listed in the U.S.: 92*
Total ETF assets: $592 billion
Total number of ETFs and ETNs in registration: 529*
*Data not provided by the American Stock Exchange

ETFs Filed – By Fund Company

There are currently 526 ETFs and ETNs in our list of prospectuses filed at the SEC.
You can click on any fund and link directly to the prospectus.