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:
· BMO Aggregate Bond Index ETF (Ticker: ZAG)
· BMO MSCI EAFE Index ETF (Ticker: ZEA)
· BMO MSCI USA Equal Weight Index ETF (Ticker: ZEQL)
· BMO Discount Bond Index ETF (Ticker: ZDB)
Sources:
CIBC | Canadian ETF Weekly Recap – August 10, Jennifer Li
‘SpaceX and Mega-IPOs: How Indices Are Adapting’ – Views from the Desk E317 with special guest Matt Montemurro
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).
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