improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . october 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . october 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message this article needs more links to other articles to help integrate it into the encyclopedia . please help improve this article by adding links that are relevant to the context within the existing text . october 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message vaneck type private company industry investment management founded new york ny 1955 founder john van eck headquarters new york ny u.s. key people jan van eck ceo director and president ; bruce smith cfo ; william ullman director products mutual funds etfs etns insurance funds smas alternative investments aum u.s. 25 billion 2015 number of employees more than 200 globally 2015 website www.vaneck.com founded in 1955 vaneck is a seasoned investment management firm headquartered in new york ny . vaneck mutual funds and vaneck vectors etfs formerly market vectors etfs are its flagship investment offerings . its actively managed vaneck mutual funds target natural resource equities and commodities emerging markets equities emerging markets bonds and liquid alternatives . security selection is the hallmark of the vaneck investment approach . its index based vaneck vectors etfs are purpose built aimed at providing exposure to asset classes that are underrepresented in investor portfolios or offering a superior approach to established investment categories . van eck associates corporation and van eck securities corporation are also referred to as vaneck . contents 1 about vaneck 2 history 3 flagship funds 4 see also 5 references 6 external links about vaneck edit founded in 1955 vaneck is a u.s. investment management firm offering mutual funds exchange traded products etps variable insurance portfolios separately managed accounts and alternative investments . its etps are marketed under the vaneck vectors brand formerly market vectors . the firm is headquartered in new york city where its fund managers are located . in addition it has a network of offices worldwide including offices in shanghai china frankfurt germany madrid spain pfaeffikon switzerland and sydney australia . 1 the firm was among the first u.s. money managers to help investors achieve greater diversification through global investing . vaneck international investors gold fund inivx was launched in 1968 and was the first u.s. gold fund . today the firm continues its pioneering tradition by offering innovative actively managed investment choices in hard assets emerging markets precious metals including gold fixed income and other specialized domestic and international asset classes . citation needed vaneck s mutual funds are sold nationwide through retail brokers financial planners and investment advisors . vaneck funds are designed for investors seeking innovative choices for portfolio diversification ; they are often categorized in asset classes having returns with low correlations to those of more traditional u.s. equity and fixed income investments . vaneck vectors exchange traded products etps have been offered by vaneck since 2006 when the firm launched the nation s first gold mining etf vaneck vectors gold miners etf gdx . today vaneck vectors offers more than 55 etfs which span several asset classes including equity fixed income and currency markets . many of these etfs are based on pure play indices whose constituents must derive a majority of revenues from the target region sector . vaneck vectors is one of the largest etp families in the u.s and worldwide . vaneck currently manages assets on behalf of more than 400 institutions including endowments foundations hospitals pensions and private banks . its traditional and alternative strategies are offered in both fund and separate account portfolios . in addition vaneck offers the vaneck vip insurance funds a series of investment choices within the variable annuity contracts and variable life policies of widely known and highly regarded insurers . history edit in 1955 john c. van eck launched one of the first international equity funds that provided a vehicle for u.s. investors to share in the returns of post war development in europe and japan . 2 forecasting inflationary pressures in the u.s. van eck established the nation s first gold fund in 1968 . in the 1980s the company introduced one of the first global fixed income funds to capitalize on the depreciating dollar . in 1993 vaneck again offered one of the first mutual funds in what was once considered a cutting edge marketplace asia . in 1994 vaneck created the first hard assets equities fund which invests in energy forest products and industrial and precious metals securities . today the firm continues to offer investors specialized investments with global coverage extending to asia russia eastern europe latin america and africa . in 2006 the firm launched its market vectors brand renamed vaneck vectors in 2016 under which it offers a series of exchange traded products spanning many asset classes including equities fixed income municipal and international bonds and currency markets . in 2011 the firm commenced etf self indexing with the launch of market vectors index solutions renamed mvis in 2016 . in 2012 vaneck expanded its liquid alternatives platform through the acquisition of a hedge fund beta business . vaneck also created a ucits platform to offer a range of strategies to non u.s. investors in 2012 and started operations of its vaneck vectors australia subsidiary . 3 in 2016 vaneck united it mutual fund and market vectors etf businesses under a single brand called vaneck . 4 flagship funds edit with an inception date of 1955 the vaneck international investors gold fund inivx was the first gold equity mutual fund made available to u.s. investors and offering exposure to a distinct asset class that is often considered a hedge during times of economic and political uncertainty . 5 vaneck hard assets fund ghaax launched in 1994 was the first hard assets equity fund offering investors exposure to securities of commodity related companies . vaneck vectors gold miners etf gdx launched in 2006 was the first exchange traded fund in the u.s. offering broad exposure to the gold mining equity market . 6 vaneck vectors vietnam etf vnm launched in 2009 was one of the first exchange traded funds in the u.s. offering exposure to locally listed equities in vietnam . see also edit etf securities list of exchange traded funds references edit http investing.businessweek.com research stocks private snapshot.asp privcapid 4664846 http www.vaneck.com about page about.aspx id 90 http www.vaneck.com about page history.aspx id 92 http www.reuters.com article ny van eck global iduknbw145756a 100 bsw20160314 type companynews http findarticles.com p articles mi m0ein is 2005 dec 13 ai n15932219 http www.vaneck.com about page history.aspx id 92 external links edit official van eck website 1 vaneck vectors etfs u.s. website 2 vaneck vectors etfs australia website 3 retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title vaneck & oldid 720301620 categories companies established in 1955companies based in new yorkinvestment management companies of the united statesmutual fund familiesexchange traded fundscompanies based in manhattanfinancial services companies based in new york citymultinational companies based in new york cityhidden 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