First, according to the classification of assets

According to the different types of assets, we can divide index funds into stock index funds, commodity index funds and bond index funds.

1. Stock index fund: It is a fund that tracks the trend of stock index. For example, tracking index funds such as Shanghai and Shenzhen 300, CSI 500, dividend index and small and medium-sized board.

2. Commodity index fund: it is a fund that tracks the trend of commodity index. For example, tracking index funds such as gold, silver and crude oil.

3. Bond index fund: It is a fund that tracks the trend of bond index. For example, tracking 10-year treasury bonds, 5-year treasury bonds, credit bonds and other index funds.

Second, classify according to the representativeness of the index.

Among all index funds, stock index funds are often contacted by everyone. If we subdivide these stock indexes, we can subdivide these stock index funds into comprehensive index, broad base index and narrow base index.

1. Composite index: This index reflects the overall trend of all stocks. For example, the familiar Shanghai Composite Index is an index that reflects the performance of all stocks in Shanghai Stock Exchange.

2. Broad-based index: This kind of index selects the underlying index from the whole market. Not biased towards a certain industry or a certain theme, such as the Shanghai and Shenzhen 300 Index and the CSI 500 Index. ?

3. Narrow base index: This kind of index refers to the index selected from a specific range, such as industry index (medicine index, consumption index), theme index (environmental protection index, pension index, Belt and Road index) and so on.

Three, according to the transaction method to classify.

Like other Public Offering of Fund, index funds can be divided into closed-end index funds and open-end index funds according to different trading methods, among which open-end index funds include general index funds, ETF index funds and LOF funds.

Simply put,

1. If you can only trade on the floor, it is an ETF fund;

2. If you can only trade over the counter, it is an ordinary index fund;

3. If you can trade in OTC and OTC markets, this is the LOF fund.

Four, according to the investment strategy to classify.

Tracking the different investment strategies of index funds, index funds can be divided into fully replicated index funds and enhanced index funds.

1, fully replicated index fund: a fund that invests in the constituent stocks of the tracking index, builds a portfolio by purchasing all or part of the constituent stocks of the index, and strives to obtain the same income as the tracking index.

2. Enhanced index fund: based on the original tracking index, through the active management of fund managers (for example, taking a small part of funds for stock selection and new shares, etc.). ), and then hope to provide a fund with a return level higher than the original index.

What needs to be reminded here is that although the purpose of the enhanced index fund is to obtain higher returns than the original index, in practice, due to various uncertain factors (such as fund size, whether active management is really effective, etc. ), such a fund may not be able to surpass the performance of the index.