ProShares announced the launch this week of its German Sovereign/Sub-Sovereign ETF (GGOV), which will offer U.S. investors exposure to one of the world’s largest bond markets. The new ETF is linked to the Markit iBoxx EUR Germany Sovereign & Sub-Sovereign Liquid Index, a benchmark that consists of debt issued by the German government or by local governments and entities guaranteed by various German governments. To be eligible for inclusion in the underlying index, bonds must have a minimum time to maturity of one year and meet certain minimum principal outstanding guidelines as well. The launch of GGOV is part of a larger trend in the ETF industry that has emerged over the last year; U.S. investors have shown increased interest in diversifying their fixed income portfolios internationally, and ETFs have emerged as a favorite tool for doing so. With interest rates in the U.S. now expected to remain near record lows through [...] Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com. Related Posts: Top 10 Noteworthy ETF Trends Of 2011 2011: A Year Of ETF Firsts International Bond ETF Guide: All the Options For Ex-U.S. Fixed Income Exposure Six Noteworthy ETF Innovations PowerShares Rolls Out Inverse, Leveraged Japanese Bond ETNs