Invesco has expanded its lineup of income-focused PowerShares exchange-traded funds, announced the company May 11.

The company says the new series provides investors with greater flexibility to choose the currency exposure that meets their goals. These new series, available in unhedged Canadian-dollar-denominated units and unhedged U.S.-dollar-denominated units will be available for trading on TSX as of May 11.

PowerShares Senior Loan Index ETF, launched in April 2012, was Canada's first senior loan ETF. “Marking the fifth anniversary of that launch, the new series set a new milestone: the first Canadian ETF to offer investors unhedged exposure to senior loans,” stated Invesco in an announcement.

Diversifying fixed-income portfolios

"After many years of interest-rate stagnation, monetary policy appears to be tightening in the U.S., which may introduce greater volatility to the fixed-income market," says Christopher Doll, Vice President, Head of Product and Business Strategy, PowerShares Canada. "Investors seeking to dampen the potential impact of rising rates may want to consider diversifying their fixed-income portfolios beyond traditional government and corporate bonds."

Invesco says it will consider rolling out similar series of additional ETFs, based on investor demand.