Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) are a set of instruments that are available on stock exchanges and are similar to shares. They essentially follow the performance of a net asset, an index, a resource, a currency, or a market strategy and are very transparent in nature.
ETPs stand for a group of products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), and exchange-traded commodities (ETCs). By using ETPs, investors can achieve diversified exposure and still be able to trade any time during the day.
What is an Exchange-Traded Product (ETP)?
An Exchange-Traded Product (ETP) is a financial security listed and traded on a stock exchange, similar to a share, that aims to track the performance of an underlying asset, index, commodity, or market segment. ETPs allow investors to gain exposure to various asset classes without directly owning the assets themselves.
ETPs include types such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), exchange-traded notes (ETNs), and exchange-traded commodities (ETCs). They typically offer liquidity, transparency, and cost-effective diversification, as prices change throughout the trading day and can be bought or sold like ordinary stocks.
Types of Exchange-Traded Products
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are the most common ETPs and track indices, sectors, commodities, or asset classes. They hold underlying assets and offer diversification, transparency, and intraday trading like ordinary shares.
Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs) are unsecured debt instruments issued by financial institutions. They track an index or strategy but do not hold underlying assets, making returns dependent on the issuer’s creditworthiness.
Exchange-Traded Commodities (ETCs) provide exposure to physical commodities such as gold, oil, or agricultural products. They are usually backed by physical holdings or commodity-linked contracts.
Exchange-Traded Currencies (ETCs) allow investors to gain exposure to foreign currencies without directly trading in the forex market, helping with hedging or diversification strategies.
Leveraged Exchange-Traded Products aim to deliver multiples of an index’s daily returns. These products are designed for short-term trading and carry higher risk due to daily rebalancing effects.
Inverse Exchange-Traded Products move in the opposite direction of the underlying index. They are often used for hedging or speculative purposes and are generally unsuitable for long-term holding.
Growth of Exchange-Traded Products
Exchange-Traded Products have grown rapidly due to increasing demand for low-cost, transparent investment options. Investors value their ability to track markets closely while trading easily on exchanges.
Advances in trading technology and market access have supported ETP growth. Online platforms allow investors to buy and sell ETPs efficiently, encouraging wider participation across retail and institutional segments.
Product innovation has also driven expansion, with ETPs now covering equities, bonds, commodities, currencies, and complex strategies. This variety helps investors tailor portfolios to specific goals.
Regulatory clarity and improved disclosure standards have increased investor confidence in ETPs. As a result, assets under management in ETPs have continued to rise globally over recent years.
Reasons to Use an Exchange-Traded Product
Exchange-Traded Products, or ETPs, let people invest in many different shares or assets at once. This helps lower risk because you are not depending on just one investment.
ETPs can be bought and sold on the stock market at any time during trading hours. This makes them flexible and easy to enter or exit whenever the market is open.
They are also cheaper to own compared to many other funds because their fees are usually low. This helps investors keep more of the money they earn.
ETPs are very transparent. Investors can easily see what they are made of and how they are performing compared to their targets.
They also make it simple to invest in different areas, like foreign markets or commodities, without needing complicated steps.
Finally, ETPs help investors manage risk and make changes to their portfolio quickly, especially when markets move up or down.
Examples of Popular ETFs
Having learnt what an ETF is, let us discuss its examples in India:
a) Central Public Sector Enterprises Exchange Traded Fund (CPSE ETF): This is a popular ETF in India, which tracks the Nifty CPSE index that was created to help the central government to divest a part of its stake in a few CPSEs.
b) UTI S&P BSE Sensex ETF: This ETF tracks BSE Sensex, one of the major stock market indexes in India. Hence, this fund aims to generate the kind of returns earned by BSE Sensex.
c) Bharat 22 ETF: This exchange-traded fund tracks the S&P BSE Bharat 22 Index, which is composed of the stocks of 22 listed CPSEs. Hence, investors can gain exposure to these CPSEs by investing in this ETF.
Additional Read: What is CPSE ETF?