Cleantech investing has enjoyed remarkable growth in recent years as investors have aligned themselves with the way that consumers, businesses and governments are responding to issues such as climate change and energy security. The European Union’s ten largest such funds had more than €10.8 billion of assets under management in late 2008, while dollars invested by US venture capitalists into the cleantech sector during 2008 grew by 52% to US$4.1 billion, despite the credit crunch and associated economic downturn.
A number of WFE members – most notably the London Stock Exchange Group (through AIM), NYSE Euronext, NASDAQ OMX and the TMX Group – have positioned themselves to capitalise on this fast-growing market. Strategies include:
- Sponsoring and attending cleantech conferences and trade fairs
- Cleantech investor days
- Marketing to attract cleantech IPOs
- Cleantech indices (see table 1)
- Cleantech ETFs (see table 2 below)
Table 2: Examples of recent cleantech ETFs
| Exchange Traded Fund | Exchange | Launch year |
|---|---|---|
| First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund | NASDAQ | 2007 |
| PowerShares Global Wind Energy | NASDAQ | 2008 |
| Airshares EU Carbon Allowances Fund | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| Claymore S&P Global Water Index ETF | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| Claymore/MAC Global Solar Energy Index ETF | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| First Trust ISE Water Index Fund | NYSE Arca | 2007 |
| First Trust ISE Global Wind Energy ETF | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| iShares KLD 400 Social Index Fund | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| iShares KLD Select Social Index Fund | NYSE Arca | 2005 |
| Market Vectors Environmental Services Index Fund | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| PowerShares Global Clean Energy | NYSE Arca Euronext Paris |
2008 |
| PowerShares Global Water Portfolio | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy Portfolio | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| PowerShares WilderHill Progressive Energy Portfolio | NYSE Arca | 2008 |
| EasyETF Low Carbon 100 Europe | Euronext Paris | 2008 |
| ETFS DAXglobal Alternative Energy Fund | Euronext Amsterdam London Stock Exchange |
2008 |
| iShares S&P Global Clean Energy Index Fund | NASDAQ Euronext Amsterdam |
2008 |
| Lyxor ETF New Energy | Euronext Paris | 2007 |
| Lyxor World Water | Euronext Paris | 2007 |
| EasyETF FTSE ET50 Environment | Euronext Paris | 2008 |
| EasyETF Water | Euronext Paris | 2008 |
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