The North side of ETFs

For all of those interested in the rapidly growing ETF market, market behemoths may have a new challenger: Northern Trust. That's right, the low-key custody bank is making a run at SSgA and BGI. Filings with the SEC show plans to launch 23 ETFs initially, almost all of which are unique to today's marketplace.

The 23 ETFs Northern Trust plans to launch:

• S&P/ASX 200 Index Fund (Australia)

• BEL 20(r) Index Fund (Belgium)

• Hang Seng China Enterprises Index Fund

• CAC40(r) Index Fund (France)

• DAX(r) Index Fund (Germany)

• FTSE/ATHEX 20 Index Fund (Greece)

• Hang Seng Index Fund (Hong Kong)

• ISEQ 20 Index Fund (Ireland)

• TA-25 Index Fund (Israel)

• S&P/MIB Index Fund (Italy)

• TOPIX Index Fund (Japan)

• FTSE Bursa Malaysia 100 Index Fund

• AEX-Index(r) Fund (The Netherlands)

• PSI 20(r) Index Fund (Portugal)

• RTS Index Fund (Russia)

• FTSE Singapore Straits Times Index Fund

• FTSE/JSE Top 40 Index Fund (South Africa)

• TSEC Taiwan 50 Index Fund

• FTSE 100 Index Fund (United Kingdom)

• FTSE SET 30 Index Fund (Thailand)

• Dow Jones Wilshire 4500 Index Fund

• Dow Jones Wilshire Global Total Market Index Fund

• Tokyo Stock Exchange REIT Index Fund

Information care of P&I.