Artículos (3)
What affects ETFs prices?
<p>Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) prices are determined by the underlying value of the ETF's holdings. If an ETF tracks an existing index, such as S&P 500, the fund’s price tracks the price of this index. If an ETF is a unique collection of financial instruments, its price is an aggregate of all the prices of instruments within it, which is also called net asset value (NAV).<br /> <br /> Once the price is determined by an ETF provider, an ETF issuer is responsible for its maintenance and correspondence with the price of underlying assets. Let’s review what can cause price fluctuations of ETFs.</p> <h2>ETF creation and redemption</h2> <p>As ETFs are subject to the law of supply and demand like any other financial instrument, their price can fluctuate due to changes in correlation between the levels of supply and demand.<br /> <br /> High demand with low supply can drive ETFs price up, while the opposite scenario – low demand and high supply can bring its price down. These deviations are usually very minor. When they occur, an ETF issuer adjusts the ETF’s price by selling and buying ETF shares in exchange for the underlying stocks and other included instruments to level off the ETF’s price and value. This mechanism is called creation and redemption. If an ETF provider works with an authorised market participant or market makers, this process is usually done by them.</p> <h2>What affects ETF prices?</h2> <p>Besides insignificant fluctuations due to supply and demand, ETFs can experience price swings caused by underlying asset price movements.<br /> <br /> Being widely diversified, ETFs can heavily depend on various factors, depending on the market its underlying assets belong to. That’s why the first step in identifying trading opportunities of an ETF is to identify the markets present within it. Once you know your markets, you can study our articles covering the factors affecting market prices:<br /> </p> <ul> <li>Forex</li> <li>Indices</li> <li>Commodities</li> <li>Crypto</li> <li>Stocks</li> </ul> <p><br /> In general, every financial market is susceptible to the following factors:</p> <h3>Economic indicators</h3> <p>Inflation, interest rates, GDP and other economic figures usually have a strong influence across markets and can affect prices both positively and negatively.</p> <h3>Physical supply</h3> <p>The scarcity of some financial instruments, especially commodities, tends to drive their value up.</p> <h3>Political instability</h3> <p>Strikes, armed conflicts and even new policies may have either a positive or negative effect on ETF prices.</p> <h3>Currency fluctuations</h3> <p>With the US dollar being the world’s reserve currency, a lot of other financial instruments can be very sensitive to its fluctuations against other currencies.<br /> <br /> Knowing these factors can help traders identify trading opportunities on ETFs, however for a beginner trader it may still be complicated to select the right ETF to trade given the vast variety offered on the market.</p> <h2>How to select the best exchange-traded fund to trade</h2> <p>Selecting an ETF to trade is a subject of personal preference of every individual trader, just like choosing between other financial markets. Some traders prefer forex, some stocks and other commodities – every market has its own benefits, but no market is essentially better than the other. Despite this, there are still factors traders can pay attention to when they try to identify the best ETF to trade.</p> <h3 class="article-numbered-item-imitation">Select the market</h3> <p>If you're a beginner, we advise you to first trade on a market you're familiar with. If you decide to start trading an ETF that is made of instruments that belong to the market you are not familiar with, dedicate some time to learning its basics.</p> <h3 class="article-numbered-item-imitation">Find trading opportunities</h3> <p>Check the <a href="/en/economic-calendar">economic calendar</a> for any upcoming events that make a difference in the trading world. Stay up to date with <a href="/en/market-news">market news</a> and insights from market analytics.</p> <h3 class="article-numbered-item-imitation">Check the liquidity of the ETF you select</h3> <p>Highly liquid ETFs tend to be less volatile and, as a result, less risky for trading. It's always a good idea to check the instruments within it. The more well-known the underlying assets are, the higher the chances that a lot of market participants are interested in trading them, which will directly affect the price movements of an ETF.<br /> <br /> Once you find an ETF that works best for you, you can put your knowledge into practice on a risk-free demo account. ThinkMarkets’ proprietary trading platform <a href="/en/platform/download-thinktrader">ThinkTrader</a>, for example, offers over 300 ETFs on different markets and virtual funds to help traders improve their skills.</p>
How to trade ETFs
<p>Al igual que muchos otros instrumentos financieros en el mercado de valores, puedes operar e invertir activamente con fondos cotizados en bolsa (ETFs). En este artículo, exploraremos la diferencia entre estos dos términos y revisaremos un ejemplo de operación de un CFD de ETF.</p> <h2>Inversión en ETFs</h2> <p paraeid="{5ad726ed-a254-4dd0-bca1-9a60545da1e0}{25}" paraid="1969427249">Para establecer una línea clara, en ThinkMarkets consideramos que todo lo que implique propiedad es una inversión. Puede ser comprar un ETF y mantenerlo durante un período prolongado de tiempo o comprar y vender activamente; en ambos casos, adquieres la propiedad de un instrumento al comprarlo, en este caso, un ETF.</p> <p paraeid="{5ad726ed-a254-4dd0-bca1-9a60545da1e0}{39}" paraid="784156085">Los ETFs son una de las formas de inversión más populares en el mundo debido a su diversificación, bajo ratio de gastos y eficiencia fiscal.</p> <p paraeid="{5ad726ed-a254-4dd0-bca1-9a60545da1e0}{49}" paraid="434731094">Cuando se trata del ratio de gastos, los ETFs pasivos son los más rentables, pero incluso los ETFs gestionados activamente pueden tener tarifas más bajas que otros instrumentos de inversión. Estos factores combinados hacen que los ETFs sean una opción popular entre los inversores a largo plazo.</p> <h2>Trading de ETFs</h2> <p>Otra forma de capitalizar potencialmente en los ETFs es especular sobre los movimientos de precios sin comprar el activo subyacente a través de derivados, como los CFDs. Esta es otra característica que diferencia a los ETFs de los fondos mutuos, ya que estos últimos solo ofrecen inversión y no trading activo.<br /> <br /> Para obtener más información sobre el trading de CFDs, consulta nuestra <a href="/es/trading-academy/cfds/que-son-los-cfds">Guía para principiantes de Trading de CFDs</a>, donde cubrimos este concepto en detalle. En esta guía, exploraremos un ejemplo real de trading de un ETF con CFDs.</p> <h2>Cómo negociar ETFs con CFDs</h2> <p>Para fines ilustrativos, digamos que decides operar con el ETF SPDR gold trust o GLD. Al momento de escribir esto, su precio era de USD 186.45.</p> <h3>Posición larga</h3> <p>Si crees que el precio va a aumentar, abres una posición de compra, también llamada posición larga. El precio sube a USD 196.45 y decides cerrar la operación. La diferencia de precio de USD 10 es tu ganancia. Si el precio se mueve en la dirección opuesta y baja a USD 176.45, USD 10 se convertiría en tu pérdida.<br /> <br /> <img alt="TFMKT-4171-Image2-1.png" src="/getmedia/a08d79eb-eb87-4731-8f2c-1577ff38d783/article-how-to-trade-etfs-long.webp" style="width: 552px; height: 436px;" /></p> <h3>Posición corta</h3> <p>Si crees que el precio va a bajar, abres una posición de venta o posición corta. En este caso, si el precio baja a USD 176.45, USD 10 es tu ganancia. Si el mercado se mueve en contra de tu predicción y el precio sube a 196.45 USD, USD 10 se convierte en tu pérdida.<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="/getmedia/dd5a0af3-6df8-4bf4-a7f7-ca203cdcb677/article-how-to-trade-etfs-short.webp" style="width: 552px; height: 442px;" /></p> <h3>Spreads</h3> <p>Cuando realizas operaciones, notarás que el precio de compra para abrir una operación es ligeramente más alto que el precio de venta. Esta diferencia se llama spread. Esencialmente, es un costo de operación que se deduce automáticamente de cada operación y que debe ser cubierto por un trader para comenzar a obtener ganancias.<br /> <br /> Al negociar ETFs CFDs con ThinkMarkets, puedes ver el spread de todos los ETFs y otros instrumentos directamente en tu plataforma de trading, ThinkTrader, como se ilustra a continuación. Por ejemplo, el spread del GLD es de solo 7 centavos.<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="/getmedia/3a5d7260-0e45-4011-8d55-0398429716a9/article-how-to-trade-etfs-spreads.webp" style="width: 552px; height: 153px;" /></p> <h3>Apalancamiento</h3> <p>Otro atributo importante del trading de CFDs es el apalancamiento. Operar con apalancamiento significa usar fondos prestados de un broker para abrir posiciones más grandes. Todo lo que necesitas pagar es un pequeño depósito llamado margen. Cuanto mayor sea el apalancamiento, menor será el depósito.<br /> <br /> El GLD tiene un apalancamiento de 10:1 y tu margen es solo una décima parte del precio de compra completo. Esto significa que para abrir una posición de compra o venta, necesitarás poner USD 18.65.<br /> <br /> <img alt="TFMKT-4171-Image5.png" src="/getmedia/3302e40d-e11c-4051-801c-52237a9f907c/article-how-to-trade-etfs-leverage.webp" style="width: 552px; height: 308px;" /><br /> <br /> Puedes encontrar el apalancamiento y otros detalles importantes para cada ETF disponible en ThinkMarkets en nuestra página de <a href="/es/especificaciones-del-contrato">Especificaciones del contrato</a>.<br /> <br /> El monto del margen también depende del tamaño de tu operación. En el trading, las posiciones se miden en lotes. Los USD 18.65 que mencionamos anteriormente son un margen requerido para negociar un lote completo, que equivale a una acción completa del ETF. Con ThinkMarkets, puedes abrir posiciones tan pequeñas como 0.1 lote, y tu apalancamiento, en este caso, sería solo USD 1.87.<br /> <br /> Ten en cuenta que, a pesar de abrir posiciones a una fracción del precio completo de la operación, tiene el mismo potencial que una operación regular a precio completo porque tu broker cubre el resto. Esto significa que si vas largo y tu margen es solo de USD 1.87, cuando el precio aumente en USD 10, tu ganancia seguirá siendo USD 10, que es mayor que tu capital inicial. Sin embargo, si tu predicción es incorrecta y el precio se mueve en la dirección opuesta en USD 10, el monto completo será tu pérdida, aunque tu capital inicial fue mucho menor. Por eso es crucial siempre utilizar herramientas de gestión de riesgos, como stop loss y take profit.<br /> <br /> Ahora, puede que te estés preguntando cómo determinar si debes abrir una operación de compra o venta corta de CFD en ETFs.<br /> <br /> En el próximo artículo, <a href="/es/trading-academy/etfs/que-afecta-los-precios-de-los-etfs">¿Qué afecta los precios de los ETFs?</a>, explicaremos cómo se establece el precio de un ETF y hablaremos sobre eventos que pueden indicar oportunidades de comercio potenciales.</p>
What are exchange-traded funds (ETFs)?
<p paraeid="{680c3ba2-76ab-40a3-bd58-2e3bfbba4153}{115}" paraid="25794553">In our previous trading guides we discussed indices and how they work. In this guide, we’ll talk about a type of security that is similar to indices – an exchange-traded fund. </p> <p paraeid="{680c3ba2-76ab-40a3-bd58-2e3bfbba4153}{157}" paraid="1833887751">Compared to stocks that have been available to traders for centuries, and indices capturing traders’ attention for over the last few decades, ETFs are a relatively new product on the market. The first ETF was created only in 1990 in Canada and was quickly picked up by other countries. Due to the numerous advantages of these funds, the capital invested in ETFs reached USD 1 trillion by 2009 – less than ten years since its creation – and this number has been growing since. </p> <p paraeid="{680c3ba2-76ab-40a3-bd58-2e3bfbba4153}{197}" paraid="494590131">In this article, we’ll explain what ETFs are, who creates them and how they compare to other financial instruments.</p> <h2>What are ETFs?</h2> <p>An exchange-traded fund (ETF) typically holds a collection of stocks or bonds, however they can also contain other financial instruments, such as commodities and cryptocurrencies. To a certain extent, ETFs are very similar to indices. However, there are also notable differences between these two instruments:<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="/getmedia/df0cd55d-1a0d-4cc3-ab50-5afd2bcbf05f/article-what-are-etfs-comparison-vs-indices.webp" style="width: 552px; height: 263px;" /><br /> <br /> Analysts segregate ETFs into several categories depending on the types of instruments they are comprised of.</p> <h2>Types of ETFs</h2> <p>The most common way of categorising exchange-traded funds is by market, where each ETF tracks the performance of a particular set of underlying assets:</p> <h3>Index ETFs</h3> <p>Existing stock market indices, such as S&P 500.</p> <h3>Stock ETFs</h3> <p>Unique baskets of stocks grouped by industry, sector or location.</p> <h3>Commodities ETFs</h3> <p>Commodities, such as gold or oil.</p> <h3>Currency ETFs</h3> <p>Forex pairs individually or in groups.</p> <h3>Cryptocurrency ETFs</h3> <p>Individual cryptocurrency or a basket of digital currencies.</p> <h3>Bond ETFs</h3> <p>Stock market securities that governments, companies and other entities issue to raise capital. Bonds represent units of debt and an obligation to pay the full amount back, along with interest to the investors who buy them.<br /> <br /> Besides markets, ETFs can also be divided into active and passive, depending on how they are managed. Active ETFs are managed by portfolio managers who hand-pick securities included in them.<br /> On the other hand, the funds that track a stock market index, such as an index ETF, are usually considered passive as they don’t need active management.<br /> <br /> Actively managed funds usually have a higher expense ratio than passive ones, which means investors need to pay higher fees when buying ETFs. However, for active traders, there is no difference. <br /> <br /> It's worth mentioning that ETFs are quite often compared to index funds and mutual funds. All three types of securities are very similar in their structure, but there is a difference. An index fund is a passively managed basket of stocks identical to stock market indices used for investment purposes. A mutual fund is an actively managed basket of various stock market securities. The main difference between the three is that ETFs can be actively bought, sold and traded on a stock exchange during market hours just like regular shares, while investment in index and mutual funds can only be made once a day after at the end of the market session.<br /> <br /> Let’s see how ETFs work to give you a clearer idea of these instruments.</p> <h2>Who creates ETFs?</h2> <p>The entity behind an ETF creation is called an ETF issuer. It is usually an authorised market participant, such as large company. To create an ETF, they purchase all the instruments that are going to be included in it and issue ETF shares. This means that when you invest in an ETF, you technically buy shares of a bundle of shares.<br /> <br /> <img alt="" src="/getmedia/f0fd7180-667e-4a5b-8772-8c22b30cf536/article-what-are-etfs-creation.webp" style="width: 552px; height: 174px;" /><br /> <br /> A person purchasing ETF shares has a legal claim to the shares included in it and is entitled to receive dividends on stocks paying them.<br /> <br /> In some cases, an ETF issuer may involve another authorised market participant who will act as a sponsor responsible for purchasing the instruments within the ETF but will not manage it.<br /> <br /> It is important to note that while any person with sufficient funds is eligible for ETF creation, it is subject to approval from the US Securities and Exchange Commission or another entity with similar functionality, depending on the location.</p> <h2>Top 5 biggest ETF issuers</h2> <p>The current market offers a vast selection of companies providing various ETFs to traders and investors. However, just like in any other industry, there are giants dominating the market. Since the two largest stock market exchanges are located in the US, the top five ETF providers are also based in the US, managing the majority of ETFs. However, each of these companies has a wide net of international offices taking care of the ETFs outside the US.</p> <h3>BlackRock Financial Management</h3> <p>BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager, offering hundreds of ETFs under the ticker iShares, such as iShares MSCI Emerging markets (EEM).</p> <h3>The Vanguard Group</h3> <p>Vanguard is the world’s second-largest ETF provider, managing a little under a hundred exchange-traded funds under the Vanguard ticker, such as Vanguard SP 500 (VOO) and Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield (VHY).</p> <h3>State Street Global Advisors</h3> <p>With over a hundred exchange-traded funds in its portfolio, State Street investment management company offers them under the SPDR ticker, such as SPRD gold trust (GLD).</p> <h3>Invesco LTD</h3> <p>The Invesco investment management company offers a wide range of services, along with hundreds of ETFs listed under the Invesco ticker, such as Invesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC).</p> <h3>ProFunds Group</h3> <p>Mutual funds provider and the owner of ProShares Advisors LLC, ProFunds group offers a few dozen exchange-traded funds under the ProShares ticker, such as ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO).</p> <h2>ETF tickers</h2> <p>Like any other financial instrument, each exchange-traded fund has a unique ticker symbol for easier tracking and identification. However, since ETFs are complex baskets of securities, their ticker symbols look a little different.<br /> <br /> The full name usually indicates the issuer and the underlying instrument, while the ticker symbol is used for tracking purposes. For example, SPDR gold trust is the full name of the ETF issued by State Street Global Advisors, tracking the price of gold. Its ticker symbol that you can see on our trading platforms is GLD.<br /> <br /> Some ETFs may also reflect the location of their issuance. For example, ETFs issued in Europe often have the UCITS abbreviation in their name. Keep in mind that an ETF’s origin may play a significant role in an investment portfolio due to associated taxes, but it does not matter for derivative trading.<br /> <br /> Let’s review the difference between ETF investing and ETF trading in our next article, <a href="/en/trading-academy/etfs/how-to-trade-etfs">How to trade ETFs</a>.</p>