The universe of investors able to trade the S&P 500 index is set to increase significantly with the May 17 announcement by Standard & Poor's that it has licensed seven European ETF sponsors to create and list funds based on the benchmark on major European exchanges. The new S&P 500 ETFs will list throughout May, the statement said.
"Demand has also been very strong across Europe for our other core indices, as this year alone, 15 ETFs throughout Europe have been launched based upon Standard & Poor's family of global indices," Alex Matturri, executive managing director at S&P Indices, said in the statement. "Our strategy is clear: provide greater access to more markets for more investors throughout the world."
Lyxor is among the European providers that have signed licensing agreements, according to a May 13 report by Global Pensions (http://www.globalpensions.com/global-pensions/news/1636821/etf-providers-sign-s-p-500-licence-agreements).
