How to invest in Switzerland using ETFs
How do I invest in Swiss stocks?
The easiest way to invest in the whole Swiss stock market is to invest in a broad market index. This can be done at low cost by using ETFs.
On the Swiss stock market you find 4 indices, which are tracked by ETFs.
Alternatively, you can consider indices on Europe. These indices weight Switzerland with up to 28%.
Performance of Swiss stocks (SLI®)
Indices in comparison
The best indices for ETFs on Switzerland
For an investment in the Swiss stock market, 4 indices tracked by 5 ETFs are available. On the Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 index there is 1 ETF. On the MSCI Switzerland index there is 1 ETF. On the SLI® index there are 2 ETFs. On the SPI® index there is 1 ETF. The total expense ratio (TER) of ETFs on these indices is between 0.25% p.a. and 0.51% p.a..
| Index | Investment focus | Number of ETFs | Number of constituents | Short description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 |
Switzerland | 1 ETF | 30 |
The Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 index tracks the 30 largest Swiss stocks. The weight of each stock is capped at 10%. |
MSCI Switzerland |
Switzerland | 1 ETF | 36 (30.06.17) |
The MSCI Switzerland index tracks around 40 leading stocks on the Swiss market.
Index factsheet |
SLI® |
Switzerland | 2 ETFs | 30 |
The Swiss Leader Index (SLI®) (total return) index tracks the 30 largest and most liquid stocks of the entire Swiss equity market. |
SPI® |
Switzerland | 1 ETF | 203 (31.10.16) |
The SPI® index tracks the performance of the Swiss equity market as a whole.
Index factsheet |
| ETF ISIN |
Fund size in m EUR |
TER in % |
Use of profits | Fund domicile | Replication method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares SLI UCITS ETF (DE)DE0005933964 | 222 | 0.51% p.a. | Distributing | Germany | Full replication | |
| Amundi ETF MSCI Switzerland UCITS ETF EURFR0010655753 | 116 | 0.25% p.a. | Accumulating | France | Unfunded swap | |
| ComStage Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 Net TR UCITS ETFLU0392496427 | 33 | 0.25% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
| db x-trackers SLI UCITS ETF (DR) 1DLU0322248146 | 30 | 0.35% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Optimized sampling | |
| ComStage SPI TR UCITS ETFLU0603946798 | 12 | 0.40% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap |
| Index | 1 month in % |
3 months in % |
6 months in % |
1 year in % |
3 years in % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Switzerland | -1.71% | -5.65% | -0.27% | 6.85% | 17.99% | |
| SPI® | -2.10% | -5.62% | 0.00% | 7.87% | 20.40% | |
| Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 | -2.33% | -4.49% | 0.05% | 10.80% | 22.87% | |
| SLI® | -2.42% | -4.51% | 0.12% | 11.90% | 23.02% |
| Index | 2017 in % |
2016 in % |
2015 in % |
2014 in % |
2013 in % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Switzerland | 4.51% | -2.29% | 11.58% | 13.47% | 20.81% | |
| Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 | 5.03% | -0.71% | 13.29% | 13.93% | 20.09% | |
| SLI® | 5.28% | 0.70% | 13.61% | 11.45% | 20.42% | |
| SPI® | 5.29% | -2.05% | 12.75% | 14.11% | 21.19% |
Source: justETF.com; As of 31.08.17; Calculations in EUR based on the largest ETF of the respective index.
The best Switzerland ETFs
by 1 year return
| 1 | iShares SLI UCITS ETF (DE) | 11.90% |
| 2 | db x-trackers SLI UCITS ETF (DR) 1D | 11.59% |
| 3 | ComStage Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 Net TR UCITS ETF | 10.80% |
The cheapest Switzerland ETFs
by total expense ratio (TER)
| 1 | Amundi ETF MSCI Switzerland UCITS ETF EUR | 0.25% p.a. |
| 2 | ComStage Dow Jones Switzerland Titans 30 Net TR UCITS ETF | 0.25% p.a. |
| 3 | db x-trackers SLI UCITS ETF (DR) 1D | 0.35% p.a. |
Europe indices with a share of Switzerland
Besides Switzerland ETFs you may consider investing in ETFs on the European stock market. In total, you can invest in 4 Europe indices, which are tracked by 20 ETFs. The total expense ratio (TER) of ETFs on Europe indices is between 0.15% p.a. and 0.51% p.a..
| Index | Investment focus | Number of ETFs | Number of constituents | Short description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Europe | Europe
Switzerland: 13.98% (31/10/2016) |
12 ETFs | 445 (30.06.17) |
The MSCI Europe (total return) index tracks the leading stocks from 15 European industrial countries.
Index factsheet |
| MSCI Europe ex EMU | Europe
Switzerland: 27.49% (31/10/2016) |
2 ETFs | 204 (30.06.17) |
The MSCI Europe ex EMU indext tracks almost 200 leading stocks in European countries outside of the Eurozone.
Index factsheet |
| MSCI Europe ex UK | Europe
Switzerland: 19.61% (31/10/2016) |
2 ETFs | 336 (30.06.17) |
The MSCI Europe ex UK index tracks the leading stocks from European industrial countries, excluding United Kingdom.
Index factsheet |
| STOXX® Europe 50 | Europe
Switzerland: 20.90% (31/10/2016) |
4 ETFs | 50 |
The STOXX® Europe 50 (total return) index tracks 50 European large cap stocks.
Index factsheet |
| ETF ISIN |
Fund size in m EUR |
TER in % |
Use of profits | Fund domicile | Replication method | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares MSCI Europe UCITS ETF (Dist)IE00B1YZSC51 | 5,139 | 0.35% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Optimized sampling | |
| db x-trackers MSCI Europe Index UCITS ETF (DR) 1CLU0274209237 | 2,768 | 0.25% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI Europe ex-UK UCITS ETFIE00B14X4N27 | 2,562 | 0.40% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Optimized sampling | |
| Lyxor MSCI Europe UCITS ETF D-EURFR0010261198 | 1,694 | 0.25% p.a. | Distributing | France | Unfunded swap | |
| Amundi ETF MSCI Europe UCITS ETFFR0010655696 | 1,264 | 0.15% p.a. | Accumulating | France | Unfunded swap | |
| iShares STOXX Europe 50 UCITS ETFIE0008470928 | 823 | 0.35% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| iShares MSCI Europe UCITS ETF (Acc)IE00B4K48X80 | 738 | 0.33% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Optimized sampling | |
| Source MSCI Europe UCITS ETF AIE00B60SWY32 | 632 | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Unfunded swap | |
| SPDR MSCI Europe UCITS ETFIE00BKWQ0Q14 | 591 | 0.25% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Full replication | |
| UBS ETF (LU) MSCI Europe UCITS ETF (EUR) A-disLU0446734104 | 237 | 0.20% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
| Deka MSCI Europe UCITS ETFDE000ETFL284 | 222 | 0.30% p.a. | Distributing | Germany | Full replication | |
| Amundi ETF MSCI Europe ex EMU UCITS ETFFR0010821819 | 222 | 0.30% p.a. | Accumulating | France | Unfunded swap | |
| iShares STOXX Europe 50 UCITS ETF (DE)DE0005933949 | 203 | 0.51% p.a. | Distributing | Germany | Full replication | |
| HSBC MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EURDE000A1C22L5 | 183 | 0.20% p.a. | Distributing | Ireland | Full replication | |
| Amundi ETF STOXX Europe 50 UCITS ETFFR0010790980 | 177 | 0.15% p.a. | Accumulating | France | Unfunded swap | |
| Deka MSCI Europe ex EMU UCITS ETFDE000ETFL458 | 39 | 0.30% p.a. | Distributing | Germany | Full replication | |
| Deka STOXX Europe 50 UCITS ETFDE000ETFL250 | 31 | 0.19% p.a. | Distributing | Germany | Full replication | |
| ComStage MSCI Europe TRN UCITS ETFLU0392494646 | 16 | 0.25% p.a. | Accumulating | Luxembourg | Unfunded swap | |
| db x-trackers MSCI Europe Index UCITS ETF (DR) 1DLU1242369327 | 16 | 0.25% p.a. | Distributing | Luxembourg | Full replication | |
| Source MSCI Europe ex-UK UCITS ETF ADE000A2DPCP0 | - | 0.20% p.a. | Accumulating | Ireland | Unfunded swap |
| Index | 1 month in % |
3 months in % |
6 months in % |
1 year in % |
3 years in % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Europe ex EMU | -1.13% | -4.66% | -0.82% | 6.77% | 10.37% | |
| STOXX® Europe 50 | -0.91% | -4.95% | 1.49% | 10.09% | 10.81% | |
| MSCI Europe | -0.78% | -3.62% | 3.01% | 12.00% | 17.50% | |
| MSCI Europe ex UK | -0.51% | -2.86% | 5.64% | 14.94% | 24.10% |
| Index | 2017 in % |
2016 in % |
2015 in % |
2014 in % |
2013 in % |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSCI Europe ex EMU | 2.49% | 0.79% | 7.05% | 8.93% | 16.76% | |
| STOXX® Europe 50 | 3.92% | 0.93% | 6.49% | 6.20% | 16.92% | |
| MSCI Europe | 5.58% | 2.66% | 8.23% | 6.84% | 19.71% | |
| MSCI Europe ex UK | 8.25% | 2.60% | 10.77% | 6.67% | 22.12% |
Source: justETF.com; As of 31.08.17; Calculations in EUR based on the largest ETF of the respective index.