Screening Filters
Monthly Average Dollar Volume ≥ $1,000,000
- Purpose: Ensure the ETFs are highly liquid and easy to trade.
- Rationale:
- Higher trading volume usually means tighter bid–ask spreads and less slippage when you buy or sell.
- For a general “What ETF should I consider buying?” question, liquidity is a key baseline requirement so that you can enter and exit positions efficiently, even with moderately sized orders.
Themes: Large Cap Blend Equities, S&P 500
- Purpose: Focus on broad, core stock-market exposure rather than narrow or speculative niches.
- Rationale:
- Large Cap Blend equity ETFs typically hold a diversified mix of large, established companies (not skewed heavily to growth or value), which are commonly used as core holdings in portfolios.
- S&P 500 ETFs track a widely recognized benchmark of U.S. large-cap stocks and are often considered “default” broad-market equity funds for long-term investors.
- Since you asked in a very general way what ETF to consider, targeting broad, diversified equity exposure is a sensible starting point.
Stock Position %: MoreThan90Pct
- Purpose: Select ETFs that invest almost entirely in stocks, not in bonds, commodities, or complex derivatives.
- Rationale:
- A >90% allocation to stocks means you’re getting true equity exposure, which aligns with the Large Cap / S&P 500 themes.
- It also avoids funds that might have high cash levels or use a lot of derivatives, which can behave differently than straightforward stock exposure.
Expense Ratio ≤ 0.05 (5 bps)
- Purpose: Limit the search to very low-cost ETFs.
- Rationale:
- For broad index ETFs, cost is one of the most important predictors of net returns over the long term.
- A max expense ratio of 0.05 is quite strict and will surface some of the most cost-efficient funds available, which is appropriate for a general “what should I consider?” query—low fees are almost always desirable.
Inception Date ≤ 2015-01-01
- Purpose: Require a long operating history (roughly 10+ years).
- Rationale:
- Older funds have a proven track record through multiple market environments (bull and bear markets), which lets you evaluate performance, tracking error, and behavior under stress.
- It also reduces the risk of picking a very new or untested ETF with limited history or potential closure risk.
Why Results Match Your Question
- You asked broadly what ETF to consider buying; these filters narrow the universe to core, broadly diversified, large-cap stock ETFs that many investors use as foundational holdings.
- The screen emphasizes liquidity, low cost, and long track record, which are three of the most important qualities for a general-purpose ETF suitable for many portfolios.
- By requiring high stock exposure and focusing on Large Cap Blend / S&P 500 themes, the results are likely to be simple, transparent, and easy-to-understand funds, which is appropriate when you haven’t specified a niche or specialized strategy.
This list is generated based on data from one or more third party data providers. It is provided for informational purposes only by Intellectia.AI, and is not investment advice or a recommendation. Intellectia does not make any warranty or guarantee relating to the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of any third-party information, and the provision of this information does not constitute a recommendation.