Explore ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds): A Guide

An ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund) is a type of investment fund and marketable security that tracks an index, commodity, bonds or a basket of assets like an index fund. Unlike mutual funds, ETFs trade like a common stock on a stock exchange. ETFs experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought and sold.

ETFs or Exchange-Traded Funds, play a crucial role in modern investing by offering investors the flexibility to trade stocks while simultaneously benefiting from the diversification typically associated with mutual funds. With the ability to buy and sell shares throughout the trading day, ETFs provide liquidity that can be advantageous for active traders.

Additionally, they are renowned for their cost-efficiency, often featuring lower expense ratios than traditional mutual funds. This cost-effectiveness is primarily due to their passive management style, which tracks an index rather than actively selecting stocks. Furthermore, ETFs offer significant tax advantages; they typically incur fewer capital gains taxes because of their unique structure, allowing investors to manage their tax liabilities more effectively.

With over 13,832 ETFs (offered by 852 providers across 81 exchanges in 63 countries) available globally as of 2025, including those focusing on niche markets and sustainable investing, they cater to a wide range of investment strategies, making them an essential tool for both novice and experienced investors. This marks a significant increase from the 13,198 ETFs recorded at the end of December 2024, reflecting the industry’s rapid growth and diversification.

• Enhanced Liquidity: ETFs continue to offer high liquidity, allowing investors to buy and sell shares at market prices throughout the trading day. Recent innovations, such as the inclusion of derivatives and alternative assets, have further improved liquidity, especially in fixed-income ETFs. This has led to tighter bid-ask spreads and more efficient trading, particularly around month-end rebalancing periods.

• Increased Transparency: Daily disclosure of holdings remains a standard feature, providing investors with clear visibility into the assets they own. This transparency has been a driving factor in the growing popularity of ETFs among both retail and institutional investors.

• Passive Management: Traditional ETFs continue to track specific indices, offering a cost-effective way to achieve market exposure. These funds are designed to replicate the performance of benchmarks like the S&P 500 or MSCI World Index, providing diversification and low expense ratios.

• Active ETFs: The landscape has evolved with a significant rise in actively managed ETFs. These funds employ professional managers who make investment decisions aiming to outperform the market. Active ETFs have gained traction due to their potential for higher returns and flexibility in adapting to market conditions.

• Smart Beta Strategies: Combining elements of both passive and active management, smart beta ETFs follow rules-based strategies to select and weight securities based on factors like value, momentum, or volatility. This approach seeks to enhance returns while maintaining transparency and cost efficiency.

• Core-Satellite Investing: This strategy involves building a portfolio with a “core” of broad-market, low-cost ETFs to provide stability and market exposure. Around this core, “satellite” investments in specialized or higher-risk ETFs are added to target specific sectors, themes, or strategies, aiming to enhance returns.

• Strategic Asset Allocation: Investors use ETFs to represent different asset classes in a portfolio, aligning with their long-term investment goals and risk tolerance. Regular rebalancing ensures the portfolio maintains its intended asset mix, adapting to market movements and personal financial objectives.

• Model Portfolios: Financial advisors increasingly utilize ETF-based model portfolios to provide clients with diversified, goal-oriented investment solutions. These models offer scalability, consistency, and ease of management, catering to various risk profiles and investment horizons.

Imagine you’re interested in investing in the technology sector but don’t want to take the risk of investing in a single tech company. You decide to invest in a Technology Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF), such as the Invesco QQQ ETF, which tracks the performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index. Here’s how it works:

1. Your Investment: You purchase 10 shares of the ETF at $300 per share, investing a total of $3,000.

2. Diversification: By investing in the ETF, you now have exposure to 100 technology companies included in the Nasdaq-100 Index, such as Apple, Microsoft and Tesla. Instead of buying individual stocks of these companies, the ETF automatically diversifies your portfolio.

3. Management and Tracking: The ETF is managed by a fund manager who ensures the ETF tracks the performance of the Nasdaq-100 Index. If Apple’s stock weight in the index increases, the manager adjusts the ETF’s holdings accordingly.

4. Market-Like Trading: Just like individual stocks, ETFs trade on stock exchanges. If the ETF’s price rises to $320 per share, your investment value increases to $3,200. Similarly, if the price drops, your portfolio value decreases.

5. Dividends and Reinvestment: Some of the companies in the ETF pay dividends. These dividends are either passed on to you as payouts or reinvested in the ETF, depending on the fund’s structure.

6. Liquidity and Transparency: If you decide to sell your ETF shares, you can do so during market hours at the current market price. ETFs provide liquidity, allowing you to buy or sell shares anytime the market is open.

Let’s say the Nasdaq-100 Index grows by 10% in a year and your ETF mirrors that growth. Your initial $3,000 investment grows to $3,300. Meanwhile, you avoided the hassle of researching and managing individual stocks while benefiting from broad exposure to the technology sector.

ETFs offer a versatile investment option, suitable for both novice investors and experienced traders. They provide an efficient way to gain exposure to a wide array of assets, markets and investment strategies, making them a vital tool in modern investing.