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Features
Avi Gilburt Talks ETFs, the Fed, Bear Markets and More
Advisor Views | Aug 16, 2023
ETF Basics
Small Cap Stocks: Everything You Need to Know
Kent Thune | Aug 10, 2023
Index Investor Corner
Lessons From the Startling Statistics of 2023’s Stock Market
Allan Roth | Aug 02, 2023
Daily ETF Flows
ETF Fund Flows as of July 31, 2023
etf.com Staff | Aug 01, 2023
Daily ETF Watch
Avantis Launches Small Cap International Stock ETF
Gabe Alpert | Jul 21, 2023
Features
YouTube Sensation ‘Meet Kevin’ ETF Is Beating Benchmarks
Andrew Hecht | Jul 18, 2023
Weekly ETF Flows
ETF Outflows Totaled Nearly $10B Last Week
Sumit Roy | Jun 26, 2023
Weekly ETF Flows
Investors Buy Into Small Caps, ESG in Strong Week for ETF Inflow
Sumit Roy | Jun 12, 2023

FAQs

An ETF, or "exchange-traded fund," is a pooled investment security like a mutual fund but it trades on an exchange like a stock. Most ETFs passively track a benchmark index, such as the S&P 500, while some are actively managed.

ETFs track a benchmark index by holding all the securities in the index in equal proportion to their weighting in the index. Some ETFs track the price movement of a specific asset or commodity. To track price movement, these ETFs often invest in derivatives or futures contracts, but they may hold a physical asset, such as gold, by storing it in a vault.

How an ETF is taxed depends primarily on the fund’s underlying holdings and the form of distributions paid to shareholders. For example, a dividend ETF will be taxed on the dividends distributed. Investors may also incur capital gains tax on the profit earned from selling an ETF. The ultimate tax paid may also depend on the shareholder’s tax bracket.

Many ETFs pay dividends, and some track a dividend index and hold only dividend-paying stocks. The way it works is the ETF collects the dividends and distributes them to the fund’s shareholders, usually on a periodic basis, such as quarterly. Investors may choose to receive the dividends, or they may reinvest the dividends to buy more shares of the ETF.

Most ETFs are structured as open-end funds, which typically provide investors with exposure to the main investment asset classes, such as stocks and bonds. ETFs may also be structured as unit investment trusts, grantor trusts or limited partnerships.

Expressed as a percentage, an expense ratio tells an investor how much they’ll pay over the course of a year to own a mutual fund or an ETF. These expenses pay for costs associated with fund operation, such as marketing, advertising and management of the fund portfolio.

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Terms of Use

ESG Research LLC’s ("MSCI ESG") Fund Metrics products (the "Information") provide environmental, social and governance data with respect to underlying securities within more than 24,000 multi-asset class Mutual Funds and ETFs globally. MSCI ESG is a Registered Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. MSCI ESG materials have not been submitted to, nor received approval from, the US SEC or any other regulatory body. None of the Information constitutes an offer to buy or sell, or a promotion or recommendation of, any security, financial instrument or product or trading strategy, nor should it be taken as an indication or guarantee of any future performance, analysis, forecast or prediction. None of the Information can be used to determine which securities to buy or sell or when to buy or sell them. The Information is provided "as is" and the user of the Information assumes the entire risk of any use it may make or permit to be made of the Information.