Extract courtesy of Morningstar/ Abby Woodham reporter
“..A well-run index fund is typically characterized by its ability to effectively track its index, lagging only by the amount of its expense ratio. In theory, it should not be possible for an index fund to come any closer to its benchmark’s return–but some do, including funds that utilize full replication of their index’s holdings. A handful of funds even beat their benchmark while perfectly replicating its holdings. How can this be? In many cases, this is an example of securities lending at work…”
“..Mining for Data
There are a handful of ways to get more information on the securities-lending practices of the ETFs in your portfolio. If you notice that your ETF (which is employing full replication) lags its benchmark by less than its expense ratio, it may be an indication that the fund is engaged in securities lending. Morningstar also publishes a calculation called the “estimated holding cost” that directly measures the performance of a fund relative to its benchmark over the past year. There’s a good chance that an ETF with an estimated holding cost that is lower than its expense ratio is also engaged in securities lending.”
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