Investors were seen decreasing exposure to synthetic exchange‑traded funds, but those with assets considered to be stable saw an uptick in new net investments during the third quarter. Chicago-based Morningstar noted outflows for synthetic ETFs were USD2.1 billion in the third quarter of 2011. [Deutsche Bank this week reiterated its commitment to synthetic ETFs, despite the firm recently revealing a new physical-backed strategy. In an interview with DI, a Deutsche Bank official said the bank is planning on launching a number of synthetic deals in Hong Kong.