Investment Products and Service Launches

Franklin Templeton Launches Strategic Beta ETFs 

Franklin Templeton Investments has added three new strategic beta exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to its Franklin LibertyShares lineup. With these additions, the firm’s LibertyQ strategic beta ETF suite now includes U.S. equity-focused products investing in companies with favorable exposure to four investment style factors: quality, value, momentum and low volatility.

The funds include the Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Equity ETF, which tracks an index generally including U.S. mid- and large-capitalization companies.Topping off the list are The Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Mid Cap Equity ETF the Franklin LibertyQ U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF.

“Our new U.S. equity strategic beta ETFs reflect our ongoing commitment to investors, by developing best-in-class offerings that seek to achieve better risk-adjusted returns over the long term,” says Patrick O’Connor, global head of ETFs at Franklin Templeton Investments. “Leveraging our firm’s 70 years of active management experience, our quantitative approach targets specific factors for consistent sources of return. In our proprietary approach, we place an emphasis on the ‘quality’ factor.”

For more information, visit LibertyShares.com.

NEXT: Vanguard Reduces Expense Ratios on Stock and Bond Funds 

Vanguard Reduces Expense Ratios on Stock and Bond Funds

Asset management firm Vanguard has reported lower expense ratios for 82 mutual fund and exchange-traded fund (ETF) shares.

The Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund reported lower expense ratios for four share classes: Institutional: a half basis point to 0.035%, Admiral: one basis point to 0.04%, ETF: one basis point to 0.04%, Investor: one basis point to 0.15%.

The Vanguard 500 Index Fund saw reductions across the following share classes: Admiral Shares: one basis point to 0.04%, ETF: one basis point to 0.04%, Investor: two basis points to 0.14%.

The Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund saw reductions across the following share classes: Institutional Plus: one basis point decline to 0.03%, Institutional: one basis point to 0.04%, Admiral: one basis point to 0.05%, ETF: one basis point to 0.05%, Investor: one basis point to 0.15%.

Fourteen additional Vanguard ETFs experienced expense ratio decreases: FTSE Developed Markets, Value, Growth, Short-Term Bond, Mid-Cap, Small-Cap, Intermediate-Term Bond, Large-Cap, Small-Cap Value, Mid-Cap Value, Small-Cap Growth, Extended Market, Long-Term Bond, and Mid-Cap Growth.

For a complete list of expense ratio changes, visit pressroom.vanguard.com.