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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Low Monitoring Error Would not Assure Index Fund Return Matches Benchmark Return


There’s a false impression, even amongst specialists, {that a} low monitoring error for a passive fund (index fund or ETF) implies the fund’s returns intently match the benchmark. This isn’t true.

What’s a monitoring distinction? That is the fund return minus the benchmark complete return over a interval. This can usually be a small destructive quantity because the fund return will at all times (nicely, usually!) be decrease than the benchmark return.

For ETFs, solely monitoring variations ought to be measured by computing returns utilizing ETF worth, not NAV! See ETFs vs Index Funds: Cease assuming decrease bills equals increased returns!

 What’s the monitoring error? How is it computed? The monitoring error measures the common return distinction between an index fund and its index. It’s measured equally to the usual deviation (volatility measure).

The usual deviation tells you the way a lot a fund’s month-to-month return (for example) deviates from the common month-to-month return. Whereas computing the monitoring error, we substitute the common month-to-month return in the usual deviation components with the index return.

Why retail passive traders ought to keep away from utilizing the monitoring error!

Monitoring error is for portfolio managers. It isn’t an intuitive measure of efficiency deviations. Monitoring errors rely on the measured period – retail traders not often recognize this facet.  Monitoring error calculation doesn’t explicitly penalise index funds that beat the index over a brief interval.

Monitoring errors for various durations (like trailing returns) aren’t available. Subsequently, it’s simpler to compute return variations during the last six months, quarters, 1,3,5 years, and so on.

Additionally, if we assume the overall expense ratio of a fund is fixed all through computing the monitoring error, it is not going to have an effect on the monitoring error worth as the identical fixed quantity is deducted from every day’s NAV.

The monitoring distinction is less complicated for everybody to understand and considers each bills and problem in following the benchmark. Subsequently, the monitoring distinction is intuitively a greater metric.

Our month-to-month index fund monitoring error screener knowledge exhibits us extra proof. A typical 1Y Monitoring Error (y-axis) vs 1Y Monitoring Distinction of 66 index funds is proven beneath.

Low Monitoring Error Would not Assure Index Fund Return Matches Benchmark ReturnLow Monitoring Error Would not Assure Index Fund Return Matches Benchmark Return
1Y Monitoring Error (y-axis) vs 1Y Monitoring Distinction of 66 index funds

Discover a substantial unfold of attainable monitoring variations for a similar monitoring error worth (y-axis) (inside the crimson rectangle). Shopping for an index fund with a low monitoring error however a big monitoring distinction is mindless as a result of my return will probably be significantly completely different (decrease) than the benchmark.

Subsequently, Low Monitoring Error Doesn’t Assure Index Fund Return Matches Benchmark Return

There’s additionally a selection in monitoring errors for a small monitoring distinction. The monitoring distinction is way from an ideal metric for evaluating passive funds. Nonetheless, it’s easier to understand and consider than the monitoring error and represents the final word profit or disadvantage an investor has to bear whereas holding the fund.

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