IndexIQ Launches New ESG Core Plus Bond ETF “ESGB” in Partnership with MacKay Shields

ESGB expands IndexIQ’s actively managed fixed income and ESG lineup; allows investors access to MacKay Shields’ deep fixed income expertise while integrating ESG factors into portfolios

IndexIQ today announced the launch of its newest ETF – the IQ MacKay ESG Core Plus Bond ETF (ESGB or the Fund). The Fund focuses on investment in securities within the core bond universe that satisfy environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria developed by MacKay Shields (MacKay), a fellow New York Life Investments boutique and a global asset manager focused on fixed income and equity investing.

ESGB is an actively managed strategy that seeks total return across a broad portfolio of fixed income securities, while incorporating MacKay’s ESG analysis framework. Through selection and portfolio construction, the portfolio prioritizes issuers that demonstrate strong performance relative to peers across certain ESG metrics.

MacKay’s Senior Portfolio Managers in Global Fixed Income Stephen Cianci, Neil Moriarty, Alexandra Wilson-Elizondo and Joseph Cantwell serve as Co-Portfolio Managers of ESGB. Collectively, the Global Fixed Income team has more than $40 billion in assets under management, as of May 31, 2021, and a long-standing track record managing fixed income strategies across the globe. With proprietary research at the core of MacKay’s approach to active management, the team utilizes an investment process that combines fundamental bottom-up research and top-down macroeconomic analysis with robust ESG elements.

Janelle Woodward, President of MacKay Shields, commented:

“As adoption and demand for ESG investment strategies grow in the fixed income marketplace, we saw a valuable opportunity to reflect our best thinking around ESG inclusion with ESGB, aligning the breadth of our internal research with our total return investment approach. Through the alignment of ESG values with our stakeholders, in our view ESGB can serve as a preferred solution for potential income generation and capital appreciation for both retail and institutional investors.”

Sal Bruno, CIO of IndexIQ, added:

“With the launch of ESGB, we’re excited to expand our existing ESG ETF lineup by building upon our partnership with MacKay Shields. We believe investors will recognize the potential benefits of working with a proven portfolio management team and investing in a fund that seeks to provide them broad fixed income exposure in the core bond category with an ESG lens that many investors value in their portfolios.”

ESGB’s Investment Focus:

• ESGB invests at least 80% of its assets in debt or debt-related securities including government bonds, corporate bonds, mortgage and other asset-backed securities and could include fixed or floating rates of interest.
• The Fund will generally seek to maintain a portfolio modified duration within 2.5 years (plus or minus) of the duration of the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
• The Fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in securities that meet MacKay’s proprietary ESG methodology standards.

IndexIQ’s Expanding Actively Managed Fixed Income and ESG Lineup:

• The Fund joins IndexIQ’s solutions-driven ETF family and comes as an expansion of its actively managed fixed income lineup with MacKay, which includes the IQ MacKay Muni Insured ETF (MMIN) and the IQ MacKay Municipal Intermediate ETF (MMIT).
• ESGB also illustrates IndexIQ’s expansion of thoughtful ESG-focused offerings, including the IQ Healthy Hearts ETF (HART), the IQ Candriam ESG US Equity ETF (IQSU) and the IQ Candriam ESG International Equity ETF (IQSI).

About IndexIQ

IndexIQ, a New York Life Investments company, is a provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), with a decade of offering highly differentiated and innovative solutions to retail and institutional investors. With $4.2 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2020, IndexIQ leverages the asset management capabilities of New York Life Investments’ multi-boutique platform into its suite of offerings which include: fixed income, equities, alternatives, ESG components and specialty asset classes. For additional information on IndexIQ, visit newyorklifeinvestments.com/etf or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

About MacKay Shields

MacKay Shields LLC (together with its subsidiaries, "MacKay")*, a New York Life Investments Company, is a global asset management firm with $158 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2021. MacKay manages fixed income and equity strategies for high-net worth individuals and institutional clients, through separately managed accounts and collective investment vehicles including private funds, CLOs, UCITS, ETFs, closed end funds and mutual funds. MacKay maintains offices in New York City, Princeton, Los Angeles and Dublin. For more information, please visit www.mackayshields.com or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn.

*MacKay Shields is a wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC, which is wholly owned by New York Life Insurance Company.

Investing involves risk, including loss on principal.

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New York Life Investment Management LLC engages the services of federally registered investment advisors. MacKay Shields LLC is an affiliate of New York Life Investments.

IndexIQ^® is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life Investment Management Holdings LLC and serves as the advisor to the IndexIQ ETFs. ALPS Distributors, Inc. (ALPS) is the principal underwriter of the ETFs, and NYLIFE Distributors LLC is a distributor of the ETFs. NYLIFE Distributors LLC is located at 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is not affiliated with NYLIFE Distributors LLC. “New York Life Investments” is both a service mark, and the common trade name, of the investment advisors affiliated with New York Life Insurance Company.

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