Double-short ETFs launched to hedge market falls

EasyETF, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider, has listed five new funds on NYSE Euronext Paris. Three of the funds offer double leverage on the downside of European equity indexes, as a means of providing a hedge against further market falls.

Double-shorting is now offered on the Cac 40, which incorporates French equity, the DJ Eurostoxx 50, which includes Europe's blue-chip stocks, and the Stoxx 600, which provides a broader representation of small to large-cap European companies.

Easy ETF also launched both US dollar and euro-denominated funds linked to the Tokyo Price Index (Topix). The index provides broad exposure to the Japanese equity market, incorporating approximately 1700 companies.

The funds are Ucits III (undertakings for