Coming Soon: Finland, Small Cap U.K., Slew Of Other ETFs From iShares

By Michael Johnston:After recently becoming the first issuer to list products on the BATS Exchange, iShares followed up with six more international equity products on Thursday. Three of the ETFs that began trading are the first of their kind, offering exposure to asset classes not previously accessible in the ETF wrapper:

By Michael Johnston:iShares, by far the most active ETF issuer on the product development front to this point in 2012, continued the aggressive expansion of its international ETF lineup this week with the debut of a new product targeting small-cap Indian stocks.

By Michael Johnston: By Daniela Pylypczak The ETF industry continues to steam ahead with February showing high levels of activity on the product development front. After a busy January, this month also saw the debut of a number of first-to-market products as well as several long-anticipated funds from both large and small issuers, making the total count for new launches in February 37: New ETFs New exchange-traded products that began trading in February include:

Michael Johnston submits:Frustrated with the diminishing prospects for growth in the developed world, investors have flocked en masse over the last two years towards red hot emerging markets that now account for the vast majority of global GDP growth. As interest in emerging markets equities has jumped, so too have the options for U.S. investors looking to gain exposure to this asset class.

Michael Johnston submits:After watching rival Vanguard roll out more than a dozen domestic equity ETFs earlier this month, iShares continues to focus its attention on international stock markets, rolling out three new ETFs on Wednesday.

Michael Johnston submits:Once upon a time, almost all ETFs offering exposure to international equity markets consisted of the largest and most liquid stocks traded in a specific country or region. Because financial institutions and oil companies tend to be the largest companies by market capitalization, most international ETFs maintain heavy tilts towards these sectors.

Michael Johnston submits:Van Eck announced today plans to reduce the expense caps on three of its international equity ETFs, effective immediately. The three ETFs that will be impacted include:

Michael Johnston submits:In perhaps a sign of things to come, a newcomer to the ETF industry has popped up, offering a fund-of-fund ETFs designed to offer exposure to global equity markets. The One Fund (ONEF) currently consists of five ETFs, including four Vanguard products and one iShares ETF: