- 100+ ETFs available on the Vienna Stock Exchange from Monday onwards
- Risk diversification and minimization of expenses are the be-all and end-all of long-term investments
- Global Fund Day & Vienna Stock Exchange Academy promote financial literacy
On 16 April 2018, the Vienna Stock Exchange will expand its ETF segment by more than 40 new instruments. In addition to global equity markets, investors can now access individual sectors and bond markets via Vienna Stock Exchange’s new ETF offering. Since October last year, 60 ETFs with a focus on Europe and the USA have been available to domestic interested investors. "ETFs are a global trend. Exchange-traded funds enable investors to spread risk at low cost. With the new selection, interested parties can head for all world markets from their home port on the Vienna Stock Exchange", says Christoph Boschan, CEO of the Vienna Stock Exchange. All ETFs available on the Vienna Stock Exchange can be traded continuously between 9:00 and 17:30 hours. As a market maker with binding quotations, Lang & Schwarz ensures competitive and continuous pricing.
Active versus passive investments
ETFs (exchange traded funds) are passive investment funds. They facilitate easy and cost-effective investments into a wide variety of markets, regions and themes. They track the performance of benchmarks, for example the Austrian leading index ATX, and thus allow investing into an entire market without buying single stocks. With active investment funds or mutual funds, in contrast, portfolio managers actively analyse the market and single stocks and try to outperform the respective benchmark.
"Domestic investors let their assets dry up in the long-term, often only out of ignorance about alternatives to the savings book. As a rule of thumb, we can give: Risk diversification and cost minimization are the be-all and end-all of any sensible investment – in addition, investing is a marathon and not a sprint. Fund savings plans can be an ideal entry into the world of equities," emphasizes Christoph Boschan.
Knowledge is growth
Industry representatives make intensive efforts to provide information and actively promote financial knowledge. The sixth World Fund Day, which will be organized next week by the Austrian fund associations, is an opportunity to find out more. Another possibility is offered by the Vienna Stock Exchange Academy, a cooperation of the WIFI Management Forum and the Vienna Stock Exchange. Interested investors can build up and deepen their stock exchange and financial knowledge in a targeted manner, for example with seminars on ETFs and investment funds.
