The FTSE Group and Dubai International Financial Centre Investments (DIFCI) have launched the FTSE Physical Industrial Metals Index Series.

It is the world's first Sharia-compliant physical industrial metals index series, providing investors with a means of researching, benchmarking, and managing exposure to some of the most widely used industrial metals.

The series is launched against a backdrop of growing investor interest in the metals asset class as continued emerging market development and government investment in infrastructure fuel global consumption.

It comprises four indices, covering aluminium, copper, zinc and nickel, as well as a benchmark index containing all four metals, giving investors the flexibility to tailor their metals exposure in accordance with investment objectives.

'FTSE has a strong pedigree in creating investment solutions for global investors, offering exposure to a broad range of asset classes,' said Middle East and Africa managing director Jonathan Cooper.

'We are delighted to be able to offer this innovative index series which creates new Sharia-compliant investment opportunities in commodities, a fast-growing asset class.

'This new series provides a transparent tool for organisations wishing to reduce the costs and complexity involved in maintaining a long-term industrial metals exposure,' the managing director added.-TradeArabia News Service