In an already crowded field,
"We didn't want to be a 'me-to' ETF provider, introducing products similar to those already in the market," said Northern Trust Chief Investment Officer Steven Schoenfeld. He also pointed out that the company is receiving "good support" from the ETF industry.
However, there is stiff competition from other industry heavyweights such as
Nevertheless, the Chicago-based company is hoping to compete by offering locally recognized indexes in foreign markets particularly in the U.K, Japan, and Germany. Plans are also underway for more funds in places like Portugal and Israel.
In a May 15 investor note,
Mazzilli said ETFs based on country-specific indexes may be attractive to investors interested in targeting exposure to specific countries and/or tailoring their portfolios to a unique group of countries.
Northern Trust is hoping the new ETFs will appeal to a broad base of investors, but it is much too soon to tell whether or not the new ETFs will be successful.