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Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 43 (from laksa194)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa043.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/learn/what-is-etf\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/learn/what-is-etf\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn\/what-is-etf","crawl_time":1776162874,"first_indexed_time":1526697571,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,wealthsimple!www,\/en-ca\/learn\/what-is-etf s443","src_root_hash":"3522375955933366243","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"What Is an ETF? | Wealthsimple","meta_descriptions":["An ETF (exchange-traded fund) is a type of diversified investment fund. Find out everything you need to know about ETFs and how to buy them."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"An\nexchange-traded fund\n, or ETF, is an investment fund that lets you buy a large basket of individual stocks or government and corporate bonds in one purchase. The funds are traded on stock exchanges, and they offer greater diversification than the ownership of an individual stock.\nAn ETF is similar to a mutual fund, which is another way to purchase many stocks at one time, but there are a few major differences. Whereas mutual funds tend to have human managers who actively trade stocks in and out of the fund based on which ones they predict will go up or down, the vast majority of ETFs are not managed by humans. Instead, many ETFs are programmed with an algorithm that tracks an entire economic sector or index, like the S&P\/TSX Composite index or the Canadian bond market. For this reason, mutual funds are generally referred to as being “actively managed,” and ETFs “passively managed,” though there are many exceptions to this rule.\nAlso, unlike mutual funds, which are priced just once a day, ETFs can be bought and sold during the entire trading day just like individual stocks. This explains why they’re called “exchange traded” funds.\nTypes of ETFs\nHere are the major asset classes and investment products included in the biggest ETF categories.\nStock-market-tracking ETFs\nETFs that mirror indices like the stock or bond market have attracted the most investment from individual investors. Canada’s stock market is heavily weighted toward the financial sector, but you’ll also find plenty of industrial, material, and energy companies on the list, too. While the S&P\/TSX Composite favours the largest companies, those who seek to diversify their holdings with smaller companies may also want to consider ETFs that track different sectors. The FTSE Canadian All Cap Index, for instance, tracks small-, medium-, and large-cap publicly traded Canadian companies.\nSector-tracking ETFs\nShould you want to focus on a particular sector of the economy, rather than the entirety of it, you may want to invest in sector-tracking ETFs. Two financial research giants, MSCI and S&P, developed a taxonomy of the global economy that locates all publicly traded companies in one of 11 main sectors and dubbed it the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).\nThe sectors in the GICS are:\nCommunication services\nConsumer discretionary\nConsumer staples\nEnergy\nFinancials\nHealth care\nIndustrials\nInformation technology\nMaterials\nReal estate\nUtilities\nNot only will you find multiple ETFs tracking each of these sectors, but there are also those that track the subcategories of each sector. From largest to smallest, they are categorized as Industry Group, Industry, and Sub-Industry. So if you specifically want to focus on an area like crude oil companies, there’s an ETF for that. MSCI hosts a\nhandy interactive tool\nthat provides an overview of all 11 sectors and their subcategories.\nInternational ETFs\nThose who want exposure to international stocks may choose to invest in one of several types of international ETFs, described below.\nETFs that focus on the U.S. economy\nThere are plenty of ways for Canadian investors to own a small sliver of the U.S. economy. One popular version seeks to mirror the S&P 500, an index of the 500 publicly traded American companies with the highest market capitalizations. The S&P 500, or other large indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ-100, naturally favour the largest companies, but there are other options, too. The S&P 400, for instance, tracks mid-cap publicly traded companies, and the Russell 2000 tracks small-cap public companies.\nETFs that focus on economies outside the U.S.\nWith these ETFs, one price will buy you exposure to most economies outside of the U.S.. You can also invest in ETFs that track the stock markets of specific countries, like the London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange.\nETFs that focus on developed markets outside the U.S. \nDeveloped markets are the markets of countries that have well-established economies, generally an established rule of law, and are technologically advanced relative to other countries in the world.\nETFs that focus on emerging markets\nEmerging economies — like those of Brazil, China, Russia, and Turkey — are countries with relatively low per capita average salaries that are less politically stable than developed markets, but are open to international investment. Though investing in emerging markets tends to be riskier than developed ones, the risk is somewhat mitigated when an ETF invests in many emerging markets.\nETFs that focus on the economy of one country outside the U.S.\nThere are multiple ways to invest in any economy. If you have read about how difficult it is to buy some individual foreign stocks, you may decide it’s preferable and a lot easier to buy an ETF that focuses on that country.\nThematic ETFs\nIf ETFs were a family of mostly straight-laced marketable assets, thematic ETFs would represent the quirky cousin with the handlebar mustache and big parrot on his shoulder. Some of these ETFs seek to make a statement by investing only in companies that are environmentally friendly. They’re known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) funds, or socially responsible funds. Others act as financial trendspotters, getting built as certain sectors get hot.\nComplex ETFs\nThere are many, many ETFs that don’t necessarily bet on the stock market just going up. These leveraged ETFs and inverse exchange-traded funds should be avoided by the average investor — unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and would, say, be able to explain how derivatives work to a third-grader.\nWealthsimple’s Learn pages are meant to be educational. Every story is sourced from and vetted by subject matter experts, and produced by journalists with decades of media experience — people whose primary goal is to teach you something, rather than sell you something. While there may be links included in the article about products that are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (“Wealthsimple”) or one of its affiliates, these articles are not investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell assets or securities, or any other kind of professional advice. If you are interested in learning about how Wealthsimple products or features work, please visit the\nHelp Centre\n. If you are interested in knowing which products are offered by Wealthsimple and which are offered by affiliates, we’ve got\na page to help you with that\n, too.","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn\/what-is-etf#main)\n\n- [Personal](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca)\n- [Business](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/for-business)\n\n[![Wealthsimple - home page](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/ws-wordmark-refresh.48a6eb42.svg)](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca)\n\n[Start investing](https:\/\/my.wealthsimple.com\/app\/signup?locale=en-ca&ajs_event=CTA+triggered+signup+started&ajs_prop_signupCta=Start+investing&ajs_prop_signupPath=%2Fen-ca%2Flearn%2Fwhat-is-etf)\n\n- What we offer\n  Spend & save\n  \n  - [Chequing account](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/chequing)\n  - [Credit card](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/credit-card)\n  - [USD savings](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/accounts\/usd)\n  - 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[Tax calculator](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/tool\/tax-calculator)[RRSP calculator](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/tool\/rrsp-calculator)[TFSA calculator](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/tool\/tfsa-calculator)[Retirement calculator](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/tool\/retirement-calculator)[Fee calculator](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/tool\/fee-calculator)[International transfer calculator\\-New](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/tool\/transfer-calculator)\n  ### Education\n  - [Personal finance how-tos](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn)[Advisor Insights](https:\/\/insights.wealthsimple.com\/)[Product Insider](https:\/\/product-news.wealthsimple.com\/)[Wealthsimple Magazine](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/magazine)\n- [Support](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/contact)\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/my.wealthsimple.com\/app\/login?locale=en-ca)[Start investing](https:\/\/my.wealthsimple.com\/app\/signup?locale=en-ca&ajs_event=CTA+triggered+signup+started&ajs_prop_signupCta=Start+investing&ajs_prop_signupPath=%2Fen-ca%2Flearn%2Fwhat-is-etf)\n\n# What is an ETF?\nBy The Editors\n\nRead bio\n\nWealthsimple's education team is made up of writers and financial experts dedicated to making the world of finance easy to understand and not-at-all boring to read.\n\n![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto,quality=75,width=64,fit=scale-down\/https:\/\/images.ctfassets.net\/v44fuld738we\/5P2vHYBKY5PmSfMHru58ge\/508bf17b8c11ecc295576c2376c58229\/Wealthsimple-logo.png)\n\nBy Steve Katuska\n\nRead bio\n\nSteve Katuska joined Wealthsimple in 2025 as the Head of Investment Research. Prior to that he spent 18 years at Bridgewater Associates, a global asset manager, working in asset allocation and portfolio management across all asset classes.\n\n![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto,quality=75,width=64,fit=scale-down\/https:\/\/images.ctfassets.net\/v44fuld738we\/2BirM4PbF2uCxXcC00TscQ\/1414f1f20b8e0a6bebb4c7612d4d6cb7\/SteveK_2.jpg)\n\nUpdated February 16, 2026\n\n### Summary\nExchange-traded funds (ETFs) allow investors to purchase a variety of different stocks and\/or bonds at once. They are often programmed with an algorithm to track market sectors. ETFs have lower fees than mutual funds, and they can be bought and sold throughout the day. There are tons of ETFs, which allows investors to find specific niches or broad categories to invest in.\n\nAn [exchange-traded fund](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/etfs), or ETF, is an investment fund that lets you buy a large basket of individual stocks or government and corporate bonds in one purchase. The funds are traded on stock exchanges, and they offer greater diversification than the ownership of an individual stock.\n\nAn ETF is similar to a mutual fund, which is another way to purchase many stocks at one time, but there are a few major differences. Whereas mutual funds tend to have human managers who actively trade stocks in and out of the fund based on which ones they predict will go up or down, the vast majority of ETFs are not managed by humans. Instead, many ETFs are programmed with an algorithm that tracks an entire economic sector or index, like the S\\&P\/TSX Composite index or the Canadian bond market. For this reason, mutual funds are generally referred to as being “actively managed,” and ETFs “passively managed,” though there are many exceptions to this rule.\n\nAlso, unlike mutual funds, which are priced just once a day, ETFs can be bought and sold during the entire trading day just like individual stocks. This explains why they’re called “exchange traded” funds.\n\n### Invest your own way\nWealthsimple’s self-directed investing accounts let you choose from 14,000 different stocks and ETFs to suit your needs. Even if they’re weird. (We’ll never judge.) [**Learn more**](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/self-directed-investing?utm_source=learn&utm_medium=sdi)\n## Types of ETFs\nHere are the major asset classes and investment products included in the biggest ETF categories.\n\n### **Stock-market-tracking ETFs**\nETFs that mirror indices like the stock or bond market have attracted the most investment from individual investors. Canada’s stock market is heavily weighted toward the financial sector, but you’ll also find plenty of industrial, material, and energy companies on the list, too. While the S\\&P\/TSX Composite favours the largest companies, those who seek to diversify their holdings with smaller companies may also want to consider ETFs that track different sectors. The FTSE Canadian All Cap Index, for instance, tracks small-, medium-, and large-cap publicly traded Canadian companies.\n\n### **Sector-tracking ETFs**\nShould you want to focus on a particular sector of the economy, rather than the entirety of it, you may want to invest in sector-tracking ETFs. Two financial research giants, MSCI and S\\&P, developed a taxonomy of the global economy that locates all publicly traded companies in one of 11 main sectors and dubbed it the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).\n\n#### **The sectors in the GICS are:**\n1. Communication services\n2. Consumer discretionary\n3. Consumer staples\n4. Energy\n5. Financials\n6. Health care\n7. Industrials\n8. Information technology\n9. Materials\n10. Real estate\n11. Utilities\n\nNot only will you find multiple ETFs tracking each of these sectors, but there are also those that track the subcategories of each sector. From largest to smallest, they are categorized as Industry Group, Industry, and Sub-Industry. So if you specifically want to focus on an area like crude oil companies, there’s an ETF for that. MSCI hosts a [handy interactive tool](https:\/\/www.msci.com\/gics) that provides an overview of all 11 sectors and their subcategories.\n\n### **International ETFs**\nThose who want exposure to international stocks may choose to invest in one of several types of international ETFs, described below.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on the U.S. economy**\nThere are plenty of ways for Canadian investors to own a small sliver of the U.S. economy. One popular version seeks to mirror the S\\&P 500, an index of the 500 publicly traded American companies with the highest market capitalizations. The S\\&P 500, or other large indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ-100, naturally favour the largest companies, but there are other options, too. The S\\&P 400, for instance, tracks mid-cap publicly traded companies, and the Russell 2000 tracks small-cap public companies.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on economies outside the U.S.**\nWith these ETFs, one price will buy you exposure to most economies outside of the U.S.. You can also invest in ETFs that track the stock markets of specific countries, like the London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on developed markets outside the U.S.**\nDeveloped markets are the markets of countries that have well-established economies, generally an established rule of law, and are technologically advanced relative to other countries in the world.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on emerging markets**\nEmerging economies — like those of Brazil, China, Russia, and Turkey — are countries with relatively low per capita average salaries that are less politically stable than developed markets, but are open to international investment. Though investing in emerging markets tends to be riskier than developed ones, the risk is somewhat mitigated when an ETF invests in many emerging markets.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on the economy of one country outside the U.S.**\nThere are multiple ways to invest in any economy. If you have read about how difficult it is to buy some individual foreign stocks, you may decide it’s preferable and a lot easier to buy an ETF that focuses on that country.\n\n### **Thematic ETFs**\nIf ETFs were a family of mostly straight-laced marketable assets, thematic ETFs would represent the quirky cousin with the handlebar mustache and big parrot on his shoulder. Some of these ETFs seek to make a statement by investing only in companies that are environmentally friendly. They’re known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) funds, or socially responsible funds. Others act as financial trendspotters, getting built as certain sectors get hot.\n\n### **Complex ETFs**\nThere are many, many ETFs that don’t necessarily bet on the stock market just going up. These leveraged ETFs and inverse exchange-traded funds should be avoided by the average investor — unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and would, say, be able to explain how derivatives work to a third-grader.\n\nWealthsimple’s Learn pages are meant to be educational. Every story is sourced from and vetted by subject matter experts, and produced by journalists with decades of media experience — people whose primary goal is to teach you something, rather than sell you something. While there may be links included in the article about products that are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (“Wealthsimple”) or one of its affiliates, these articles are not investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell assets or securities, or any other kind of professional advice. If you are interested in learning about how Wealthsimple products or features work, please visit the [Help Centre](https:\/\/help.wealthsimple.com\/hc\/en-ca). If you are interested in knowing which products are offered by Wealthsimple and which are offered by affiliates, we’ve got [a page to help you with that](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/legal\/legal-disclaimers), too.\n\n## Build your own portfolio your way with stocks, ETFs, and options\n[Start investing](https:\/\/my.wealthsimple.com\/app\/signup?locale=en-ca&ajs_event=CTA+triggered+signup+started&ajs_prop_signupCta=Start+investing&ajs_prop_signupPath=%2Fen-ca%2Flearn%2Fwhat-is-etf)\n\n![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/copper-smiley-coin.47fe37cb.webp)![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/copper-smiley-coin.47fe37cb.webp)\n\n## Discover more about\n- [Investing](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn\/category\/investing)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/pewter-wealthsimple-coin.8a8601c8.webp)ReadPassive Investing: What It Is and How It Works](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn\/passive-investing)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/blue-wealthsimple-coin.eafa8232.webp)ReadHow the stock market works](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn\/how-the-stock-market-works)\n\n[![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/green-wealthsimple-coin.85fd0822.webp)ReadBuying on Margin: How It Works and Key Risks](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/learn\/how-to-buy-on-margin)\n\n## Wealthsimple - Footer\n![](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/_next\/static\/media\/tldr.6a6ee71e.png)\n\nSign up for our weekly non-boring newsletter about money, markets, and more.\n\n[Meet TLDR](https:\/\/tldr-archive.wealthsimple.com\/archive)\n\nBy providing your email, you are consenting to receive communications from Wealthsimple Media Inc. 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All Rights Reserved.  \n For further details see our [Legal Disclosures](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/legal\/legal-disclaimers). By using this website, you accept our [Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/legal\/terms) and [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/legal\/privacy).  \n For information about filing a complaint please visit [How to File a Complaint](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/legal\/file-complaint).","attrs_readable_markdown":"An [exchange-traded fund](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/etfs), or ETF, is an investment fund that lets you buy a large basket of individual stocks or government and corporate bonds in one purchase. The funds are traded on stock exchanges, and they offer greater diversification than the ownership of an individual stock.\n\nAn ETF is similar to a mutual fund, which is another way to purchase many stocks at one time, but there are a few major differences. Whereas mutual funds tend to have human managers who actively trade stocks in and out of the fund based on which ones they predict will go up or down, the vast majority of ETFs are not managed by humans. Instead, many ETFs are programmed with an algorithm that tracks an entire economic sector or index, like the S\\&P\/TSX Composite index or the Canadian bond market. For this reason, mutual funds are generally referred to as being “actively managed,” and ETFs “passively managed,” though there are many exceptions to this rule.\n\nAlso, unlike mutual funds, which are priced just once a day, ETFs can be bought and sold during the entire trading day just like individual stocks. This explains why they’re called “exchange traded” funds.\n\n## Types of ETFs\nHere are the major asset classes and investment products included in the biggest ETF categories.\n\n### **Stock-market-tracking ETFs**\nETFs that mirror indices like the stock or bond market have attracted the most investment from individual investors. Canada’s stock market is heavily weighted toward the financial sector, but you’ll also find plenty of industrial, material, and energy companies on the list, too. While the S\\&P\/TSX Composite favours the largest companies, those who seek to diversify their holdings with smaller companies may also want to consider ETFs that track different sectors. The FTSE Canadian All Cap Index, for instance, tracks small-, medium-, and large-cap publicly traded Canadian companies.\n\n### **Sector-tracking ETFs**\nShould you want to focus on a particular sector of the economy, rather than the entirety of it, you may want to invest in sector-tracking ETFs. Two financial research giants, MSCI and S\\&P, developed a taxonomy of the global economy that locates all publicly traded companies in one of 11 main sectors and dubbed it the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).\n\n#### **The sectors in the GICS are:**\n1. Communication services\n2. Consumer discretionary\n3. Consumer staples\n4. Energy\n5. Financials\n6. Health care\n7. Industrials\n8. Information technology\n9. Materials\n10. Real estate\n11. Utilities\n\nNot only will you find multiple ETFs tracking each of these sectors, but there are also those that track the subcategories of each sector. From largest to smallest, they are categorized as Industry Group, Industry, and Sub-Industry. So if you specifically want to focus on an area like crude oil companies, there’s an ETF for that. MSCI hosts a [handy interactive tool](https:\/\/www.msci.com\/gics) that provides an overview of all 11 sectors and their subcategories.\n\n### **International ETFs**\nThose who want exposure to international stocks may choose to invest in one of several types of international ETFs, described below.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on the U.S. economy**\nThere are plenty of ways for Canadian investors to own a small sliver of the U.S. economy. One popular version seeks to mirror the S\\&P 500, an index of the 500 publicly traded American companies with the highest market capitalizations. The S\\&P 500, or other large indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ-100, naturally favour the largest companies, but there are other options, too. The S\\&P 400, for instance, tracks mid-cap publicly traded companies, and the Russell 2000 tracks small-cap public companies.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on economies outside the U.S.**\nWith these ETFs, one price will buy you exposure to most economies outside of the U.S.. You can also invest in ETFs that track the stock markets of specific countries, like the London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on developed markets outside the U.S.**\nDeveloped markets are the markets of countries that have well-established economies, generally an established rule of law, and are technologically advanced relative to other countries in the world.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on emerging markets**\nEmerging economies — like those of Brazil, China, Russia, and Turkey — are countries with relatively low per capita average salaries that are less politically stable than developed markets, but are open to international investment. Though investing in emerging markets tends to be riskier than developed ones, the risk is somewhat mitigated when an ETF invests in many emerging markets.\n\n#### **ETFs that focus on the economy of one country outside the U.S.**\nThere are multiple ways to invest in any economy. If you have read about how difficult it is to buy some individual foreign stocks, you may decide it’s preferable and a lot easier to buy an ETF that focuses on that country.\n\n### **Thematic ETFs**\nIf ETFs were a family of mostly straight-laced marketable assets, thematic ETFs would represent the quirky cousin with the handlebar mustache and big parrot on his shoulder. Some of these ETFs seek to make a statement by investing only in companies that are environmentally friendly. They’re known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) funds, or socially responsible funds. Others act as financial trendspotters, getting built as certain sectors get hot.\n\n### **Complex ETFs**\nThere are many, many ETFs that don’t necessarily bet on the stock market just going up. These leveraged ETFs and inverse exchange-traded funds should be avoided by the average investor — unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and would, say, be able to explain how derivatives work to a third-grader.\n\nWealthsimple’s Learn pages are meant to be educational. Every story is sourced from and vetted by subject matter experts, and produced by journalists with decades of media experience — people whose primary goal is to teach you something, rather than sell you something. While there may be links included in the article about products that are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (“Wealthsimple”) or one of its affiliates, these articles are not investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell assets or securities, or any other kind of professional advice. If you are interested in learning about how Wealthsimple products or features work, please visit the [Help Centre](https:\/\/help.wealthsimple.com\/hc\/en-ca). If you are interested in knowing which products are offered by Wealthsimple and which are offered by affiliates, we’ve got [a page to help you with that](https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/legal\/legal-disclaimers), too.","meta_canonical":null}

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Boilerpipe Text	An exchange-traded fund , or ETF, is an investment fund that lets you buy a large basket of individual stocks or government and corporate bonds in one purchase. The funds are traded on stock exchanges, and they offer greater diversification than the ownership of an individual stock. An ETF is similar to a mutual fund, which is another way to purchase many stocks at one time, but there are a few major differences. Whereas mutual funds tend to have human managers who actively trade stocks in and out of the fund based on which ones they predict will go up or down, the vast majority of ETFs are not managed by humans. Instead, many ETFs are programmed with an algorithm that tracks an entire economic sector or index, like the S&P/TSX Composite index or the Canadian bond market. For this reason, mutual funds are generally referred to as being “actively managed,” and ETFs “passively managed,” though there are many exceptions to this rule. Also, unlike mutual funds, which are priced just once a day, ETFs can be bought and sold during the entire trading day just like individual stocks. This explains why they’re called “exchange traded” funds. Types of ETFs Here are the major asset classes and investment products included in the biggest ETF categories. Stock-market-tracking ETFs ETFs that mirror indices like the stock or bond market have attracted the most investment from individual investors. Canada’s stock market is heavily weighted toward the financial sector, but you’ll also find plenty of industrial, material, and energy companies on the list, too. While the S&P/TSX Composite favours the largest companies, those who seek to diversify their holdings with smaller companies may also want to consider ETFs that track different sectors. The FTSE Canadian All Cap Index, for instance, tracks small-, medium-, and large-cap publicly traded Canadian companies. Sector-tracking ETFs Should you want to focus on a particular sector of the economy, rather than the entirety of it, you may want to invest in sector-tracking ETFs. Two financial research giants, MSCI and S&P, developed a taxonomy of the global economy that locates all publicly traded companies in one of 11 main sectors and dubbed it the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). The sectors in the GICS are: Communication services Consumer discretionary Consumer staples Energy Financials Health care Industrials Information technology Materials Real estate Utilities Not only will you find multiple ETFs tracking each of these sectors, but there are also those that track the subcategories of each sector. From largest to smallest, they are categorized as Industry Group, Industry, and Sub-Industry. So if you specifically want to focus on an area like crude oil companies, there’s an ETF for that. MSCI hosts a handy interactive tool that provides an overview of all 11 sectors and their subcategories. International ETFs Those who want exposure to international stocks may choose to invest in one of several types of international ETFs, described below. ETFs that focus on the U.S. economy There are plenty of ways for Canadian investors to own a small sliver of the U.S. economy. One popular version seeks to mirror the S&P 500, an index of the 500 publicly traded American companies with the highest market capitalizations. The S&P 500, or other large indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ-100, naturally favour the largest companies, but there are other options, too. The S&P 400, for instance, tracks mid-cap publicly traded companies, and the Russell 2000 tracks small-cap public companies. ETFs that focus on economies outside the U.S. With these ETFs, one price will buy you exposure to most economies outside of the U.S.. You can also invest in ETFs that track the stock markets of specific countries, like the London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange. ETFs that focus on developed markets outside the U.S. Developed markets are the markets of countries that have well-established economies, generally an established rule of law, and are technologically advanced relative to other countries in the world. ETFs that focus on emerging markets Emerging economies — like those of Brazil, China, Russia, and Turkey — are countries with relatively low per capita average salaries that are less politically stable than developed markets, but are open to international investment. Though investing in emerging markets tends to be riskier than developed ones, the risk is somewhat mitigated when an ETF invests in many emerging markets. ETFs that focus on the economy of one country outside the U.S. There are multiple ways to invest in any economy. If you have read about how difficult it is to buy some individual foreign stocks, you may decide it’s preferable and a lot easier to buy an ETF that focuses on that country. Thematic ETFs If ETFs were a family of mostly straight-laced marketable assets, thematic ETFs would represent the quirky cousin with the handlebar mustache and big parrot on his shoulder. Some of these ETFs seek to make a statement by investing only in companies that are environmentally friendly. They’re known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) funds, or socially responsible funds. Others act as financial trendspotters, getting built as certain sectors get hot. Complex ETFs There are many, many ETFs that don’t necessarily bet on the stock market just going up. These leveraged ETFs and inverse exchange-traded funds should be avoided by the average investor — unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and would, say, be able to explain how derivatives work to a third-grader. Wealthsimple’s Learn pages are meant to be educational. Every story is sourced from and vetted by subject matter experts, and produced by journalists with decades of media experience — people whose primary goal is to teach you something, rather than sell you something. While there may be links included in the article about products that are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (“Wealthsimple”) or one of its affiliates, these articles are not investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell assets or securities, or any other kind of professional advice. If you are interested in learning about how Wealthsimple products or features work, please visit the Help Centre . If you are interested in knowing which products are offered by Wealthsimple and which are offered by affiliates, we’ve got a page to help you with that , too.
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By The Editors Read bio Wealthsimple's education team is made up of writers and financial experts dedicated to making the world of finance easy to understand and not-at-all boring to read. ![](https://www.wealthsimple.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=75,width=64,fit=scale-down/https://images.ctfassets.net/v44fuld738we/5P2vHYBKY5PmSfMHru58ge/508bf17b8c11ecc295576c2376c58229/Wealthsimple-logo.png) By Steve Katuska Read bio Steve Katuska joined Wealthsimple in 2025 as the Head of Investment Research. Prior to that he spent 18 years at Bridgewater Associates, a global asset manager, working in asset allocation and portfolio management across all asset classes. ![](https://www.wealthsimple.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=75,width=64,fit=scale-down/https://images.ctfassets.net/v44fuld738we/2BirM4PbF2uCxXcC00TscQ/1414f1f20b8e0a6bebb4c7612d4d6cb7/SteveK_2.jpg) Updated February 16, 2026 ### Summary Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) allow investors to purchase a variety of different stocks and/or bonds at once. They are often programmed with an algorithm to track market sectors. ETFs have lower fees than mutual funds, and they can be bought and sold throughout the day. There are tons of ETFs, which allows investors to find specific niches or broad categories to invest in. An [exchange-traded fund](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/etfs), or ETF, is an investment fund that lets you buy a large basket of individual stocks or government and corporate bonds in one purchase. The funds are traded on stock exchanges, and they offer greater diversification than the ownership of an individual stock. An ETF is similar to a mutual fund, which is another way to purchase many stocks at one time, but there are a few major differences. Whereas mutual funds tend to have human managers who actively trade stocks in and out of the fund based on which ones they predict will go up or down, the vast majority of ETFs are not managed by humans. Instead, many ETFs are programmed with an algorithm that tracks an entire economic sector or index, like the S\&P/TSX Composite index or the Canadian bond market. For this reason, mutual funds are generally referred to as being “actively managed,” and ETFs “passively managed,” though there are many exceptions to this rule. Also, unlike mutual funds, which are priced just once a day, ETFs can be bought and sold during the entire trading day just like individual stocks. This explains why they’re called “exchange traded” funds. ### Invest your own way Wealthsimple’s self-directed investing accounts let you choose from 14,000 different stocks and ETFs to suit your needs. Even if they’re weird. (We’ll never judge.) [Learn more](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/self-directed-investing?utm_source=learn&utm_medium=sdi) ## Types of ETFs Here are the major asset classes and investment products included in the biggest ETF categories. ### Stock-market-tracking ETFs ETFs that mirror indices like the stock or bond market have attracted the most investment from individual investors. Canada’s stock market is heavily weighted toward the financial sector, but you’ll also find plenty of industrial, material, and energy companies on the list, too. While the S\&P/TSX Composite favours the largest companies, those who seek to diversify their holdings with smaller companies may also want to consider ETFs that track different sectors. The FTSE Canadian All Cap Index, for instance, tracks small-, medium-, and large-cap publicly traded Canadian companies. ### Sector-tracking ETFs Should you want to focus on a particular sector of the economy, rather than the entirety of it, you may want to invest in sector-tracking ETFs. Two financial research giants, MSCI and S\&P, developed a taxonomy of the global economy that locates all publicly traded companies in one of 11 main sectors and dubbed it the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). #### The sectors in the GICS are: 1. Communication services 2. Consumer discretionary 3. Consumer staples 4. Energy 5. Financials 6. Health care 7. Industrials 8. Information technology 9. Materials 10. Real estate 11. Utilities Not only will you find multiple ETFs tracking each of these sectors, but there are also those that track the subcategories of each sector. From largest to smallest, they are categorized as Industry Group, Industry, and Sub-Industry. So if you specifically want to focus on an area like crude oil companies, there’s an ETF for that. MSCI hosts a [handy interactive tool](https://www.msci.com/gics) that provides an overview of all 11 sectors and their subcategories. ### International ETFs Those who want exposure to international stocks may choose to invest in one of several types of international ETFs, described below. #### ETFs that focus on the U.S. economy There are plenty of ways for Canadian investors to own a small sliver of the U.S. economy. One popular version seeks to mirror the S\&P 500, an index of the 500 publicly traded American companies with the highest market capitalizations. The S\&P 500, or other large indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ-100, naturally favour the largest companies, but there are other options, too. The S\&P 400, for instance, tracks mid-cap publicly traded companies, and the Russell 2000 tracks small-cap public companies. #### ETFs that focus on economies outside the U.S. With these ETFs, one price will buy you exposure to most economies outside of the U.S.. You can also invest in ETFs that track the stock markets of specific countries, like the London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange. #### ETFs that focus on developed markets outside the U.S. Developed markets are the markets of countries that have well-established economies, generally an established rule of law, and are technologically advanced relative to other countries in the world. #### ETFs that focus on emerging markets Emerging economies — like those of Brazil, China, Russia, and Turkey — are countries with relatively low per capita average salaries that are less politically stable than developed markets, but are open to international investment. Though investing in emerging markets tends to be riskier than developed ones, the risk is somewhat mitigated when an ETF invests in many emerging markets. #### ETFs that focus on the economy of one country outside the U.S. There are multiple ways to invest in any economy. If you have read about how difficult it is to buy some individual foreign stocks, you may decide it’s preferable and a lot easier to buy an ETF that focuses on that country. ### Thematic ETFs If ETFs were a family of mostly straight-laced marketable assets, thematic ETFs would represent the quirky cousin with the handlebar mustache and big parrot on his shoulder. Some of these ETFs seek to make a statement by investing only in companies that are environmentally friendly. They’re known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) funds, or socially responsible funds. Others act as financial trendspotters, getting built as certain sectors get hot. ### Complex ETFs There are many, many ETFs that don’t necessarily bet on the stock market just going up. These leveraged ETFs and inverse exchange-traded funds should be avoided by the average investor — unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and would, say, be able to explain how derivatives work to a third-grader. Wealthsimple’s Learn pages are meant to be educational. Every story is sourced from and vetted by subject matter experts, and produced by journalists with decades of media experience — people whose primary goal is to teach you something, rather than sell you something. While there may be links included in the article about products that are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (“Wealthsimple”) or one of its affiliates, these articles are not investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell assets or securities, or any other kind of professional advice. 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Readable Markdown	An [exchange-traded fund](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/etfs), or ETF, is an investment fund that lets you buy a large basket of individual stocks or government and corporate bonds in one purchase. The funds are traded on stock exchanges, and they offer greater diversification than the ownership of an individual stock. An ETF is similar to a mutual fund, which is another way to purchase many stocks at one time, but there are a few major differences. Whereas mutual funds tend to have human managers who actively trade stocks in and out of the fund based on which ones they predict will go up or down, the vast majority of ETFs are not managed by humans. Instead, many ETFs are programmed with an algorithm that tracks an entire economic sector or index, like the S\&P/TSX Composite index or the Canadian bond market. For this reason, mutual funds are generally referred to as being “actively managed,” and ETFs “passively managed,” though there are many exceptions to this rule. Also, unlike mutual funds, which are priced just once a day, ETFs can be bought and sold during the entire trading day just like individual stocks. This explains why they’re called “exchange traded” funds. ## Types of ETFs Here are the major asset classes and investment products included in the biggest ETF categories. ### Stock-market-tracking ETFs ETFs that mirror indices like the stock or bond market have attracted the most investment from individual investors. Canada’s stock market is heavily weighted toward the financial sector, but you’ll also find plenty of industrial, material, and energy companies on the list, too. While the S\&P/TSX Composite favours the largest companies, those who seek to diversify their holdings with smaller companies may also want to consider ETFs that track different sectors. The FTSE Canadian All Cap Index, for instance, tracks small-, medium-, and large-cap publicly traded Canadian companies. ### Sector-tracking ETFs Should you want to focus on a particular sector of the economy, rather than the entirety of it, you may want to invest in sector-tracking ETFs. Two financial research giants, MSCI and S\&P, developed a taxonomy of the global economy that locates all publicly traded companies in one of 11 main sectors and dubbed it the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS). #### The sectors in the GICS are: 1. Communication services 2. Consumer discretionary 3. Consumer staples 4. Energy 5. Financials 6. Health care 7. Industrials 8. Information technology 9. Materials 10. Real estate 11. Utilities Not only will you find multiple ETFs tracking each of these sectors, but there are also those that track the subcategories of each sector. From largest to smallest, they are categorized as Industry Group, Industry, and Sub-Industry. So if you specifically want to focus on an area like crude oil companies, there’s an ETF for that. MSCI hosts a [handy interactive tool](https://www.msci.com/gics) that provides an overview of all 11 sectors and their subcategories. ### International ETFs Those who want exposure to international stocks may choose to invest in one of several types of international ETFs, described below. #### ETFs that focus on the U.S. economy There are plenty of ways for Canadian investors to own a small sliver of the U.S. economy. One popular version seeks to mirror the S\&P 500, an index of the 500 publicly traded American companies with the highest market capitalizations. The S\&P 500, or other large indexes like the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the NASDAQ-100, naturally favour the largest companies, but there are other options, too. The S\&P 400, for instance, tracks mid-cap publicly traded companies, and the Russell 2000 tracks small-cap public companies. #### ETFs that focus on economies outside the U.S. With these ETFs, one price will buy you exposure to most economies outside of the U.S.. You can also invest in ETFs that track the stock markets of specific countries, like the London Stock Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange. #### ETFs that focus on developed markets outside the U.S. Developed markets are the markets of countries that have well-established economies, generally an established rule of law, and are technologically advanced relative to other countries in the world. #### ETFs that focus on emerging markets Emerging economies — like those of Brazil, China, Russia, and Turkey — are countries with relatively low per capita average salaries that are less politically stable than developed markets, but are open to international investment. Though investing in emerging markets tends to be riskier than developed ones, the risk is somewhat mitigated when an ETF invests in many emerging markets. #### ETFs that focus on the economy of one country outside the U.S. There are multiple ways to invest in any economy. If you have read about how difficult it is to buy some individual foreign stocks, you may decide it’s preferable and a lot easier to buy an ETF that focuses on that country. ### Thematic ETFs If ETFs were a family of mostly straight-laced marketable assets, thematic ETFs would represent the quirky cousin with the handlebar mustache and big parrot on his shoulder. Some of these ETFs seek to make a statement by investing only in companies that are environmentally friendly. They’re known as ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) funds, or socially responsible funds. Others act as financial trendspotters, getting built as certain sectors get hot. ### Complex ETFs There are many, many ETFs that don’t necessarily bet on the stock market just going up. These leveraged ETFs and inverse exchange-traded funds should be avoided by the average investor — unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and would, say, be able to explain how derivatives work to a third-grader. Wealthsimple’s Learn pages are meant to be educational. Every story is sourced from and vetted by subject matter experts, and produced by journalists with decades of media experience — people whose primary goal is to teach you something, rather than sell you something. While there may be links included in the article about products that are offered by Wealthsimple Investments Inc. (“Wealthsimple”) or one of its affiliates, these articles are not investment advice, a recommendation to buy or sell assets or securities, or any other kind of professional advice. If you are interested in learning about how Wealthsimple products or features work, please visit the [Help Centre](https://help.wealthsimple.com/hc/en-ca). If you are interested in knowing which products are offered by Wealthsimple and which are offered by affiliates, we’ve got [a page to help you with that](https://www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/legal/legal-disclaimers), too.
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