The Best FTSE 250 ETF to Watch in 2024
Whilst the FTSE 100 is a stock index which tracks the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), the FTSE 250 tracks the next 250 largest companies (i.e. 101st – 350th).
One of the most popular ways of gaining exposure to this mid-cap index is by using FTSE 250 ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds). But what is the best FTSE 250 ETF to watch in 2024? In this article, we compare two options for those looking for a FTSE 250 tracker fund.
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How to Pick the Best FTSE 250 ETF
FTSE 250 ETFs attempt to mirror the performance of the overall index by using investor capital to buy shares in all 250 of the companies which make up the index.
Consequently, in terms of performance, there does not tend to be an enormous amount of difference between each FTSE 250 tracker ETF, as, in theory, each ETF should contain exactly the same investments.
However, as well as the reputation of the ETF provider, there are a number of things to consider when looking for the best FTSE 250 ETF, including:
- Fees: ETFs charge investors an annual fee to cover the fund management. Generally speaking, ETFs which passively track a stock index charge fairly low fees, as the fund simply mimics its underlying index. However, fees do vary depending on the provider and, as these are charged annually, they can add up over time.
- Liquidity: Regardless of what instrument you’re trading or investing in, higher liquidity is always preferable, but its importance is generally more significant for those operating over a shorter time horizon. The higher an asset’s liquidity, the easier and quicker it is to buy and sell, ensuring that neither buyers nor sellers have to wait long to find a counterparty to their transaction. Higher liquidity also results in lower spreads, the difference between an asset’s buy and sell price.
- Tracking Accuracy: Although every FTSE 250 tracker fund is designed to track the FTSE 250, they may not all achieve the same level of accuracy in doing so. Consequently, it might be worth checking how accurately the ETF has managed to track the index historically.
FTSE 250 ETFs to Watch in 2024
So, now we know some of the things to consider when picking a FTSE 250 ETF, what are some examples of the options available to investors in 2024?
Vanguard FTSE 250 UCITS ETF (VMID)
The Vanguard Group is an investment firm, which was founded by Jack C. Bogle, the man credited with popularising the index fund. It is the largest provider of mutual funds in the world and the second-largest provider of ETFs in the world, in terms of assets under management.
The Vanguard FTSE 250 UCITS ETF is the largest FTSE 250 tracker ETF, with £1.3 billion of assets under management as of 31 October 2023. It’s also the cheapest, with an annual fee of just 0.10%.
In the year ending 30 June 2023, Vanguard reported a tracking error of 0.07%, where tracking error measures the volatility of the difference in return between the fund and the benchmark index.
iShares FTSE 250 UCITS GBP Dist ETF
iShares is a brand of ETFs which are managed by BlackRock. BlackRock is the second largest provider of mutual funds in the world and the largest provider of ETFs, in terms of assets under management.
The iShares FTSE 250 UCITS ETF is smaller than its Vanguard equivalent, with around £760 million of assets under management as of 17 November 2023. It’s also considerably more expensive, with an annual fee of 0.40%.
However, at the time of writing, this ETF has had significantly higher trading volume than the Vanguard FTSE 250 ETF over the past year, which would suggest that it has enjoyed higher liquidity. In the year ended 28 February 2023, the ETF also reported a tracking error of 0.07%.
How to Invest in a FTSE 250 Tracker Fund
With an investing account from Admirals, you can invest in both FTSE 250 tracker funds highlighted in this article by following these steps:
- Open an Invest.MT5 account and log in to the Dashboard
- Find your account details and click ‘Invest’ to open the MetaTrader Web Terminal
- Search for a FTSE 250 ETF and click the symbol to open a price chart
- Press ‘Create New Order’, enter the number of shares you want to buy and hit ‘Buy’ to send the order to the market.
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With an Invest.MT5 account, you can buy shares in more than 4,500 companies and over 200 ETFs. Click the banner below to register for an account today:
FAQ - FTSE 250 Tracker ETF
Does the FTSE 250 Pay Dividends?
Whilst the FTSE 250 itself does not technically pay dividends, many of the companies within the index do. At the time of writing, the FTSE 250 has a dividend yield of around 3.6%.
What Is the Average Return of the FTSE 250?
The FTSE 250 has an annualised return of 3.69% over the last 10 years, at the time of writing.
What ETF Tracks the FTSE 250?
There are a number of ETFs which are designed to track the FTSE 250. These include the Vanguard FTSE 250 UCITS ETF, the iShares FTSE 250 UCITS ETF, the HSBC FTSE 250 UCITS ETF and the Invesco Markets FTSE 250 UCITS ETF.
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About Admirals
Admirals is a multi-award winning, globally regulated Forex and CFD broker, offering trading on over 8,000 financial instruments via the world's most popular trading platforms: MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Start trading today!
This material does not contain and should not be construed as containing investment advice, investment recommendations, an offer of or solicitation for any transactions in financial instruments. Please note that such trading analysis is not a reliable indicator for any current or future performance, as circumstances may change over time. Before making any investment decisions, you should seek advice from independent financial advisors to ensure you understand the risks.
