Leading equity index provider FTSE is now launching a series of benchmarks to track bonds. FTSE Group said it has bought the Bondtop indices from Reuters, and will use these as the basis for its new FTSE Global Bond Index Series.
“For the first time, investors will have access to a global range of bond indices using liquid prices from a wide range of sources,” says Mark Makepeace, FTSE chief executive.
Newly created tradable indices will be added soon, says FTSE, allowing the series to support exchange-traded funds (ETFs), index-linked funds and derivative products. FTSE said it is confident ETFs will soon be launched on the series.
Over the next few months, new bond indices will be created and added to the family, resulting in an “extensive range of narrow tradable government bond indices and broader benchmark bond indices for use by global investors”. The new series will include country and regional government bond indices, as well as corporate bond indices.
Reuters will continue to distribute the FTSE Global Bond Index series via its global market data product portfolio.