RBC Global Asset Management introduces a suite of core equity ETFs

• New Canadian, U.S. and EAFE equity ETFs offer high-quality portfolios with broad core market exposure
• Two new currency-hedged ETFs provide investors with the option to manage their currency risk

TORONTO, May 12, 2015 /CNW/ - RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (RBC GAM) today announced the introduction of the RBC Quant Equity Leaders suite of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), designed to offer investors and advisors diversified core equity exposure in Canadian, U.S. and international markets. The five new RBC Quant Equity Leaders ETFs are now available for purchase on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).

"Investors and advisors are increasingly looking for well-diversified investment options that offer superior portfolio construction, growth potential and the option to limit foreign currency risk," said Mark Neill, head of RBC ETFs. "These new ETFs address that need by expanding upon the popular rules-based investment approach of our RBC Quant Dividend Leaders ETFs to provide broad core market exposure to a diversified portfolio of high-quality securities."

Unlike traditional core strategies, RBC Quant Equity Leaders ETFs do not follow an index, but rather use a rules-based, multi-factor investment approach that seeks to avoid companies with low quality of earnings, expensive valuations and slow growth and applies a unique modified cap weighting methodology.

RBC Quant Canadian Equity Leaders ETF (RCE) seeks to provide long-term capital growth by focusing on companies domiciled in Canada and following the rules-based Quant Equity Leaders investment process. This ETF has a management fee of 0.39 per cent.

RBC Quant U.S. Equity Leaders ETF (RUE) seeks to provide long-term capital growth appreciation by focusing on companies domiciled in the U.S. by following the rules-based Quant Equity Leaders investment process. This ETF has a management fee of 0.39 per cent. The ticker symbol "RUE" represents Canadian-dollar-denominated units, while the ticker symbol "RUE.u" represents U.S.-dollar denominated units.

RBC Quant EAFE Equity Leaders ETF (RIE) seeks to provide long-term capital growth by focusing on international companies by following the rules-based Quant Equity Leaders investment process. This ETF has a management fee of 0.49 per cent. The ticker symbol "RIE" represents Canadian-dollar-denominated units, while the ticker symbol "RIE.u" represents U.S.-dollar denominated units.

Two new currency-hedged RBC Equity Leaders ETFs
RBC GAM also announced the launch of two new currency-hedged ETFs:

• RBC Quant U.S. Equity Leaders (CAD Hedged) ETF (RHS)
• RBC Quant EAFE Equity Leaders (CAD Hedged) ETF (RHF)

The five new ETFs launched today bring the total number of RBC ETFs to 21, with over $1.2 billion in assets under management. RBC Global Asset Management Inc. is the fastest growing ETF provider in Canada, based on flows as a percentage of assets under management in the first quarter of this year as of March 31, 2015. (Source: Bloomberg.)

Each of the RBC Quant Equity Leaders ETFs is managed by the RBC GAM Quantitative Investments team, whose members have over seven decades of combined investment expertise.

RBC Quant Equity Leaders ETFs:

For further information regarding RBC ETFs, please visit www.rbcgam.com/etfs.

About RBC Global Asset Management and RBC Wealth Management
RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and includes institutional money managers BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to individual, high-net-worth and institutional investors through mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, pooled funds, separate accounts and specialty investment strategies. RBC GAM group of companies manage more than $370 billion and have approximately 1,200 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

RBC GAM is part of RBC Wealth Management, which is one of the world's top five largest wealth managers*. RBC Wealth Management directly serves affluent, high-net-worth and ultra-high net worth clients globally with a full suite of banking, investment, trust and other wealth management solutions, from our key operational hubs in Canada, the United States, the British Isles, and Asia. The business also provides asset management products and services directly and through RBC and third party distributors to institutional and individual clients, through its RBC GAM business. RBC Wealth Management has more than C$767 billion of assets under administration, more than C$480 billion of assets under management and approximately 4,400 financial consultants, advisors, private bankers, and trust officers. For more information, please visit www.rbcwealthmanagement.com.

*Scorpio Partnership Global Private Banking KPI Benchmark 2014. In the United States, securities are offered through RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada. Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

SOURCE RBC