Index funds, which became popular during the 1980s, derive returns from a broad market portfolio that serves to minimize transactions costs and management fees and to reduce market risks
Index funds are a type of mutual fund that invests in the stocks of a specific market index, attempting to maintain a value per unit that tracks that index.
Index funds have the potential to be more profitable than mutual funds. Unlike mutual funds, the contents of an index fund are more easily known. The individual stocks that make up an index fund are easier to keep track of. It is easier to track the fund gains and losses. Hence the index.
An Index Fund is said to provide benefits, like a broader Market Exposure, Low Operating Expenses, and Low Portfolio Turnover. It is a passive form of managing funds.
Index funds are designed to track a specific benchmark. The benchmarks are often widely published, rebalance annually (also known as reconstitution), and focus on a specific section of the marketplace. Index funds are designed to be low-cost, transparent and come close to the performance of the benchmark (less expenses).
The advantages of Vanguard index funds are the "more risk, more money" factor. It is also a low-cost method to get exposed into the large-capitalization markets.
There is a list of the most successful Index Funds online at About Money Over 55. The list is called Best Index Funds, and includes Vanguard Index Funds, iShare Exchange Traded Index Funds, and Charles Schwab Index Funds, along with information about these Index Funds.
The benefits of purchasing no load index funds is to avoid incurring any transaction costs compare to those investors who are buying ETFs who have to pay the brokerage commission.
Commodity index funds are funds whose assets are invested in financial instruments linked to a certain commodity index. If it's a well-balanced commodity index fund it will develop roughly the same as the index. It is generally safer to invest in index funds than specialized funds or stocks.
Index Universe has a great comparison of the top index funds.
Index funds are a type of mutual fund that invests in the stocks of a specific market index, attempting to maintain a value per unit that tracks that index.
Index funds have the potential to be more profitable than mutual funds. Unlike mutual funds, the contents of an index fund are more easily known. The individual stocks that make up an index fund are easier to keep track of. It is easier to track the fund gains and losses. Hence the index.
An Index Fund is said to provide benefits, like a broader Market Exposure, Low Operating Expenses, and Low Portfolio Turnover. It is a passive form of managing funds.
An index fund or index tracker is a collective investment strategy that aims to replicate the movements of an index. It is a popular retirement plan and is supported by many mutual funds.
You can exchange traded index funds by selling it through your investment manager. You can get more information about exchange-traded funds at the Wikipedia.
Index funds are investment vehicles that track a particular market index such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the Standard & Poor's 500 index and many others. Many firms offer index funds such as Barclays iShares, Vanguard and others. Yahoo Finance also has relevant information about them.
Commodity index funds are where the assets of the funds are invested in financial instruments (tradeable financial assets such as shares or cash) that are linked to a commodity index like Dow Jones AIG. You can invest in the fund which operates by buying and selling commodity futures, but not the index.
The Index for Mutual Funds began in 1975. It helps to track the Standard and Poor, or S&P, Index as well. It was established by John Bogle with low assets.