On June 23, 2015, ProShares listed two new ETFs, the UltraPro Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (Symbol: UBIO) and UltraPro Short Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (Symbol: ZBIO), tracking the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
UBIO seeks to provide 3x and ZBIO seeks to provide -3x the daily performance of the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, before fees and expenses. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index is a modified capitalization weighted index that includes Nasdaq-listed companies classified as either biotechnology or pharmaceutical.
The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index, which tracks a number of bellwether companies in the space, returned 34.1% in 2014, far outpacing both the S&P 500, and has continued its charge in 2015. Learn what is driving this growth story for the sector in our article, “Biotech – The Growth Story Continues.”
These products join six other global funds licensed to the index, including the ProShares Ultra Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (BIB) and ProShares UltraShort Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (BIS). ProShares is the world’s largest provider of geared ETFs. Geared ETFs are designed to offer knowledgeable investors the opportunity to act on their views, whether it’s hedging against downturns with inverse ETFs or using a leveraged ETF to get magnified exposure to a benchmark.
Nasdaq operates an efficient platform for successfully introducing a product suite into one of the single largest pools of liquidity, including market participants which represent a full spectrum of investors. ETF issuers benefit from an end-to-end solution that provides ongoing product support including index licensing, listings opportunities, data offerings and trading services.
The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular security or an overall investment strategy. Neither The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company. Statements regarding Nasdaq-listed companies or Nasdaq proprietary indexes are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. ADVICE FROM A SECURITIES PROFESSIONAL IS STRONGLY ADVISED.
Investor inflows into exchange traded funds (ETFs) tracking the biotechnology sector have surged as the share prices of biotech companies make a record breaking start to 2013. According to FT.com, the largest vehicle in the sector, the iShares NASDAQ biotechnology fund (IBB), based on the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index (NBI), has registered inflows of $311.5M so far this year, already surpassing the $287.8M it gathered over the whole of 2012.
IBB has risen 32.6 percent this year, outperforming the second largest fund in the sector, State Street’s SPDR S&P biotech ETF, known as XBI, which is up 25.2 per cent. XBI has attracted $40.8m in new inflows in 2013, up from $24.9m over the whole of last year.
U.S. stocks have continued to move higher, with all-time closing highs in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 indices yesterday. Biotechnology stocks have been particularly strong, as have home builders and healthcare stocks. The NASDAQ BIOTECHNOLOGY INDEX (NBI) was up 6.6% over the past 5 days and is up over 35% year-to-date.
"Biotech stocks have been helped by signs of a more accommodating U.S. approvals process and several companies reporting positive news. The tailwinds from the recent market rally are helping the sector as investors look to allocate funds to non-defensive sectors," said Dave Gedeon, Managing Director, NASDAQ OMX Global Indexes. "The housing sector stocks were strong again this week, with a gain of almost 3% after a 4.4% rise last week."
For a look at the top weekly index movers, top five equity indexes, top five commodity indexes and other notable index moves, click here
Index Universe named the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy ETF (NASDAQ: QCLN) and the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology Index Fund (NYSEArca: IBB) two of the best ETFs in 2013. According to the publication, QCLN is challenging the db X-trackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF (NYSEArca: DBJP) for first position in a tally of top-performing ETFs year-to-date, with gains of 37.3 percent, and all of that linked to shares of Tesla, the luxury electric sports car maker. QCLN is based off of the NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index.
IBB, the biggest and oldest biotech-focused ETF in the market, has $3.15 billion in assets gathered since its 2001 launch and has tagged on gains of 27.45 percent year-to-date, making it the ninth-best-performing ETF of 2013 so far, according to the article. It goes on to say "IBB is rising as successful treatment launches and what some see as a more 'accommodating' U.S. approvals process for new drugs fuel the biotech sector." IBB is based off of the
NASDAQ Biotechnology IndexRead the entire article here.
The IBB (iShares NASDAQ Biotech, Expense Ratio 0.48%), the largest ETF in the biotech category, has surged this week to trade at a new all-time highs this morning. According to ETF Trends, IBB’s performance this year alone has more than doubled that of the S&P 500. The performance of the top holdings in IBB (REGN, GILD, AMGN and CELG) are leading the way for this ETF as the sector continues to do well. Read more from ETF Trends.
