RLAM ETF's

ABCs of ETFs: your quick reference guide

A

Asset allocation

How you spread investments across equities, bonds, cash etc. ETFs can make rebalancing fast and low cost.

Authorised participant (AP)

Large institutions (e.g., banks) that create/redeem ETF units in huge blocks (‘creation units’) to keep market price aligned with NAV.

B

Benchmark

The index an ETF tracks or tries to beat (e.g., FTSE AllShare, MSCI World). Our Tilt ETFs aim to stay close to their benchmarks while improving climate metrics.

Bid-offer spread

Gap between buy price (offer) and sell price (bid). Narrow spreads = good liquidity.

C

Carbon intensity

CO₂ emissions per £1m revenue. Our Active ETFs systematically tilt away from high carbon companies.

Consumer Duty

FCA rules requiring clear value and fair outcomes.

Creation/redemption

APs swap securities baskets for new ETF shares (creation) or vice versa (redemption), keeping supply/demand balanced.

D

Daily holdings disclosure

ETFs publish portfolios daily (vs monthly/quarterly for mutual funds), so you always know what you own.

Diversification

Spreading risk across many companies/sectors. One ETF = instant basket of 100s of stocks (top reason ETF investors cite).

E

Exchange traded fund (ETF)

Pooled investment trading on London Stock Exchange like a share, holding diversified baskets with intraday pricing.

Expense ratio

Annual fund fee (e.g., 0.15%).

F

Fractional shares

Buying part of an ETF share (e.g., £50 of a £100 ETF). Helps with regular investing on platforms.

G

Governance tilt

Systematic overweight to better managed companies (strong boards, aligned execs). Part of our equity tilt DNA.

I

Indicative NAV (iNAV)

Real time estimate of ETF value during trading hours, helping you gauge fair price.

Intraday trading

Buy/sell ETFs during market hours (not just end-of-day like mutual funds).

ISA (Stocks & Shares)

Efficient tax wrapper that can hold ETFs.

L

Liquidity

Ease of buying/selling without significant price impact. Check average daily volume (ADV) and spreads on platforms.

M

Market maker

Firms quoting continuous buy/sell prices to ensure smooth ETF trading (beyond just APs).

Mutual fund (vs ETF)

Once-a day pricing, less transparent, T+2 settlement. ETFs trade faster with daily holdings.

N

Net asset value (NAV)

Total value of ETF holdings ÷ shares outstanding. Market price should track closely.

O

Ongoing charges figure (OCF)

All-in annual cost (management + other expenses).

P

Paris Alignment

Aligns towards companies on track for net zero (our climate objective).

Platform dealing fee

Cost to buy/sell ETFs.

Primary vs secondary market

Primary = authorised creations; Secondary = exchange trading by investors like your clients.

R

Responsible investment (RI)

An investment approach that considers environmental, social and governance factors alongside financial analysis and active ownership.

S

SIPP

Self-Invested Personal Pension. A tax efficient retirement building investment wrapper.

Smart beta/rules-based

Rules-based index tweaks (as used in our Tilt ETFs). Sit between passive and active approaches.

Stewardship

Engaging/voting to improve portfolio companies. Built into our ETFs with the help of our Responsible Investment team.

T

Ticker

Short code for trading. Search platforms by ticker.

Tracking error

How much an ETF deviates from its benchmark. Tracking error is typically low (2-4%) for tilts like ours.

Transition risk

Climate risk from policy/technology shifts.

V

Volatility

Day-to-day price swings. ETFs typically experience lower volatility than single stocks due to diversification.