Blog posts

Introduced in 1996, the MDAX tracks Germany’s listed mid-cap companies, widely regarded as the backbone of the national economy. The index has become a popular barometer for investors, both in terms of the breadth of investable products linked to it and the returns it has delivered over the past three decades.

In its third year of existence, the iShares EURO STOXX 50 ESG ETF offers exposure to a core Eurozone benchmark minus controversial business activities. Sophie Thurner, ETF Product Strategist at BlackRock, explains how the ESG ETF fits in investors’ portfolios and how its underlying index has adapted to evolving regulation.

The EURO STOXX® Banks and STOXX® Europe 600 Banks indices climbed 80.3% and 67% respectively in 2025, the best performance among 20 ICB Supersectors and best year since 1987. In spite of strong gains in recent years, the banking sector remains significantly below the levels reached just before the global financial crisis.

The Deka STOXX Future Water ESG UCITS ETF was launched today and tracks the STOXX Future Water ESG index. The strategy allows investors to participate in opportunities linked to this scarce natural resource and the forward-looking investment theme it underpins.

The 25-year-old iShares STOXX Europe 50 UCITS ETF (DE) will be renamed to reflect its new index, which offers exposure to a smaller number of mega-caps in the broad European region.

The iShares Core Multifactor ETF suite was introduced in June 2022. We spoke with Priya Panse, CFA, lead strategist for BlackRock’s US Factor ETFs, to discuss what defines a modern, risk-controlled multifactor strategy.

The launches follow on from the roll-out three years ago of ETFs tracking yen-hedged versions of the two European flagship benchmarks, and come amid rising interest in European equities.

The underlying STOXX Global Quantum Computing index selects companies through a unique systematic process of scanning candidates’ patents, annual reports and corporate websites.

Changes are part of the December regular review of the DAX 50 ESG, DAX 50 ESG+, DAX 30 ESG, DAX ESG Target, DAX ESG Screened, MDAX ESG+, MDAX ESG Screened and DAX indices.

The new ETF is a first for the issuer and the only one in the market offering an equal-weight approach to the flagship Eurozone benchmark. Investors have this year been turning increasingly to equal-weight strategies to avoid single-stock concentration risks and rising valuations.

The recognition comes in a year marked by multi-year-high inflows into European equity ETFs and a series of innovative launches from STOXX.

The new ETF reflects a hypothetical portfolio invested in the German benchmark that simultaneously sells a DAX at-the-money call option, generating additional income at the cost of capping stock gains.