Index ETF vs Index Fund: Understand the Difference

Index ETF and Index Funds sound pretty similar, right? Well, there are some important differences between them that a woman investor should be aware of when investing in an index fund or ETF.

To simplify this, let’s first understand what index means? An Index is a group of stocks, bonds or any other securities that are similar to each other in terms of market sector, performance, investment strategy etc. 

For example – Nifty 50 is an index representing the 50 largest companies in the NSE.

What is Index ETF?

An index ETF is a type of investment that tracks a particular market index. It tries to replicate the performance of the index as much as possible. They are traded on the stock exchange and can be bought or sold at market prices.

What are the benefits of Index ETF?

• Diversification: Investing in an index ETF offers exposure to a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other assets within that index.
• Low Costs: Index ETFs generally have lower expense ratios compared to actively managed funds because they passively track an index and require less active management.
• Liquidity: Index ETFs trade on stock exchanges, which means they can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market prices. This liquidity provides investors with the flexibility to enter and exit the market at will.

What is Index Fund?

Index Funds are a type of mutual fund but they replicate a specific index. This means that they tend to invest in the same securities as the underlying index and try to mimic the performance of the index as well.

What are the benefits of Index Funds?

• Convenience: Index Funds are easy to invest in as they don’t require a demat account for investment. 
• SIP Availability: Unlike Index ETFs, you can invest in Index Funds with regular monthly installments through  SIP.
• No trading Costs: Index Funds don’t involve any trading costs as they can’t be traded on the stock exchange.

ETF vs. Index Fund

PARAMETERS	INDEX ETFs	INDEX FUNDS
Structure	Exchange Traded Funds	Mutual Funds
Management	They can be traded on the stock exchange as per the will of the investor.	They are managed by fund managers.
Price	Its price fluctuates as per demand and supply.	It has a Net Asset Value (NAV) that is updated at the end of the day.
Demat A/C	Requires a Demat account	Doesn’t require a Demat account
Investment Method	SIP Investment is not available	Investment can be done through SIP or Lumpsum
Cost	Lower expense ratio than Index funds but may involve trading charges	Higher expense ratio than Index ETFs

In conclusion, both Index Funds and Index ETFs attempt to mimic market indexes and replicate their performance. The primary difference between ETF and Index Funds  lies in terms of their investment method. Index ETFs are traded on the stock exchange and require a demat a/c while Index Funds are purchased from Asset Management Companies (AMCs) and don’t require a demat a/c.

However, since Index Fund or ETF mimic the markets, they don’t generate an alpha (excess return over the return generated by the benchmark index) for the investors. To generate an alpha, women can explore investing in actively managed mutual funds portfolios.  

To invest in actively managed MF portfolios, check out LXME an investment platform where you can find goal and time-based portfolios and start investing today! These portfolios are well-researched and are curated by experts. Begin your journey with just Rs. 100!

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