West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – In an interview with Dan Dolan of Select Sector SPDRs on how the economic crunch is affecting trading rhythms, Dolan presented a broad overview of sector SPDRs and how more hedge funds and institutional investors are utilising the option of buying baskets of securities over single stock options.

Dolan developed and runs the Select Sector SPDR Trust, the ETFs which divide the S&P 500 into nine component sectors. With more than $27 billion in assets, the Trust is well into its 10th year of business.

"While most ETF providers continue to position their products as substitutes for traditional mutual funds, an attribute from which we also benefit, we’re seeing increased usage of Select Sector SPDRs as substitutes for equities, to reduce single stock exposure." Dolan said, "SPDR trading volume has averaged well over 200 million shares per day in 2008 as institutional investors take advantage of the outstanding liquidity to implement their trading strategies."

Sometimes considered speculative and volatile, sector investing has finally earned a place in many portfolios either as part of “core and explore” strategies, or as a way of betting on sectors about which investors feel especially bullish. Some investors have even diversified some of their mutual fund holdings to ETFs, opting for passive products, especially during market routs.

Dolan characterizes his products as the “new blue chips,” substitutes for large concentrated positions in widely-held stocks, and a way to provide investors with downside protection by avoiding headline risk. Select Sector SPDRs were the first sector family of ETFs and is the largest based on assets and trading volume.

Alex Akesson

Editor for HedgeCo.Net
Email: alex@hedgeco.net

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Tags: asset-management-services, boston, due-diligence-service, founding-partners, fund-groups, market-sentiment, prison-term, systems-developer

TORONTO – Introduction Capital announced today that Horizons
BetaPro ETFs, Felcom Data Services Inc. and JovVentures Inc. have signed on
as the partner sponsors for its third annual forum for global sophisticated
investors interested in the Canadian hedge fund market entitled “Canadian
Hedge Fund Managers Speak with Investors”. Horizons BetaPro ETFs, managed by
BetaPro Management Inc., are showing their support for this forum for the
second year in a row.

“We are proud to associate our company with a forum dedicated to supporting
the Canadian hedge fund industry,” said Howard J. Atkinson, President of
BetaPro. “It is a good fit for us, given that BetaPro is a significant
provider of ETFs products in Canada and that ETFs are used by both
institutional and private investors globally.”

About Horizons BetaPro ETFs:

Horizons BetaPro ETFs are managed by BetaPro Management Inc., Canada’s sole
provider of investment tools allowing investors to profit when the market is
rising or falling, or to reduce their risk by hedging their existing market
exposure. BetaPro currently manages the largest product offering of any
Canadian ETF provider with approximately $1.8 billion amongst 28 ETFs.

About Felcom Data Services Inc.:

Felcom Data Services Inc. (FDS) has been providing Fund Accounting and
Transfer Agency services to investment fund manufacturers since 2001, and
offers a total solution to address all investment product administrative
requirements. FDS has greater than $3.6 Billion in Assets under
Administration for 30 Customers, and services more than 250 different
products.

FDS can manage the Fund Valuation & Accounting and Transfer Agent &
Registrar needs of any sized firm. Where necessary, FDS can develop
customized solutions and interfaces or other technological requirements with
the support of our system providers. The company also provides Relationship
Management with their specialized Strategic Partner Vendors. FDS is able to
provide an immediate total administration solution for established product
manufacturers or a phased-in implementation approach to suit a “start-up”
Customer’s growth over time.

About JovVentures Inc.:

JovVentures Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of JovFunds Management Inc., is
an incubation platform for financial services companies. With a focus on
Canadian private equity and emerging hedge fund managers, JovVentures has
developed a robust institutional platform across an array of services and
functions including on-shore and off-shore capital raising, middle office
workflow, legal registration and marketing.

The forum will provide global investors with direct access to 16 of Canada’s
most prominent hedge fund managers including Salida Capital, Front Street
Capital and Sprott Asset Management. Managers will present an overview of
their firm, fund strategy, risk management approach and market outlook to an
audience of fund of funds, family offices, institutions and high net worth
individuals from around the world. The forum will be held on September 25th,
2008 at the St. Andrew’s Club & Conference Centre in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada.

About Introduction Capital:

Introduction Capital is a boutique firm that brokers strategic business
relationships between sophisticated global investors and Canadian hedge fund
managers. The firm tracks over 100 hedge funds in Canada and offers global
investors the perfect place to “start” their Canadian manager search.
Introduction Capital encourages offshore investors to visit Canada by
creating full manager meeting itineraries on their behalf. Over $150 million
in investor capital has been introduced to Canadian hedge fund managers
through Introduction Capital since it was founded in 2004 by Karen Azlen.
Introduction Capital is a member of the Canadian Chapter of AIMA and is
registered with the Ontario Securities Commission as a Limited Market
Dealer.

Attendance to the forum is by invitation only with limited seating. For
inquiries, information on attending or interview requests please contact
Karen Azlen, CEO, Introduction Capital Inc. at 416-849-1927 or
k.azlen@introcap.com. Please visit our website at www.introcap.com.

Tags: annual-forum, bank-of-germany, combination-of-the-two, fds, financial-assets, foray, fund-valuation, howard-j-atkinson, investment-holdings, investment-returns, investment-tools, newcastle, partner-vendors, product-offering, stock-ideas, strategic-partner, system-providers, systems-developer, technological-requirements