Two ETFs can track the same asset class and still deliver very different results. In this episode, hosts Hilly Cutler and Zayla Saunders unpack how major indices — from the S&P 500 and Russell to MSCI and FTSE — are actually constructed, the different methodologies at play, and how they shape portfolio construction, from large-cap overlap to overlooked emerging market exposure.

Zayla Saunders is Vice President of ETF Online Distribution at BMO Global Asset Management (BMO GAM) and Hilly Cutler is Director of Portfolio Consulting and Senior Portfolio Consultant at BMO GAM. This episode was recorded live on Monday, August 10, 2026.

ETFs mentioned:

Sources:

CIBC|Canadian ETF Weekly Recap – August 10, Jennifer Li

BMO ETF Compare Tool

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Capex: Capital Expenditures

EAFE: Developed markets in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East.

Emerging markets: Major economies and many smaller countries such as China, India, Brazil, South Korea, Taiwan, and South Africa

Sortino ratio: A risk-adjusted return metric that measures how much excess return an investment generates per unit of downside risk.

HIPs: TSE 100 Index Participation Fund

TIPs: Toronto 35 Index Participation Units, launched in March 1990, as the world’s first ETF. TIPs and HIPs merged in March 2000 into what eventually became the iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF (XIU), which tracks the 60 largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).

Disclaimers:

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