The first exchange-traded fund to target the Andean region–Chile, Colombia and Peru–launched Thursday, its issuer, Global X Funds, said in a statement.
Aimed at investors who want to take advantage of the expected stock-market merger in the region, the Global X FTSE Andean 40 ETF will trade on the New York Stock Exchange Arca platform under the symbol AND, said Global X Funds, a New-York-based ETF provider.
The three Andean nations are expected to integrate their stock markets later this year to form South America’s largest stock exchange in terms of companies listed and second-largest by market capitalization, at less than half the size of Brazil’s.
“We are excited to provide a benchmark and investment vehicle to the combined Chile, Colombia, and Peru exchanges,” said Bruno del Ama, head of Global X Funds.
The Andean ETF tracks the FTSE Andean 40 Index, which measures the performance of the 40 largest and most liquid companies in the Chilean, Colombian, and Peruvian markets, the company said.
As of Jan. 26, the fund’s top three holdings were base-metals miner Southern Copper Corp. (SCCO, SCCO.VL), Peruvian precious-metals miner Compania de Minas Buenaventura SA (BVN, BUENAVC1.VL) and oil producer Pacific Rubiales Energy (PEGFF, PRE.T), Global X Funds said.