Best ETF Canada: Top 7 offered by BMO – 2024

In this post, we’ll go over the best growth ETFs offered by BMO. Our analysis focuses on long-term performance. Only ETFs with a sustained historical performance over a period of 5 years were considered. For each ETF, we will analyze strategy, performance, management fees and volatility.

Management Fees and Volatility

Source:  TD Market research , MER: Management expense ratio is the total charges charged by the fund including administration and management fees. Beta (60 months): is a measure of volatility. The higher the Beta, the more risky the title. A Beta of 1 means the stock has the same volatility as the market.

 Performance Comparison

Updated daily

Analysis (Best ETF Canada by BMO):

BMO’s Best Equity ETFs highlight ZQQ (BMO Nasdaq 100 Equity) as the top performer over the last decade, primarily attributed to the dominance of FAANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google), which collectively constitute nearly a third of the Nasdaq 100. ZQQ boasts the highest annualized average performance over a 5-year span, coupled with a modest volatility of 1.28. This makes ZQQ particularly attractive for long-term investors seeking a well-performing portfolio of high-quality securities with substantial growth potential. Notably, ZQQ provides excellent exposure to the technology sector in its sector allocation.

ZQQ has assets under management of $ 1.57 billion. It is one of the most popular funds in Canada.

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ZUQ (BMO MSCI US High Quality) and ZGQ (BMO MSCI World High Quality) have showcased strong performances, sharing a common stock selection methodology. Unlike traditional index replication, these funds implement a pre-selection process, specifically choosing securities based on criteria related to yield and liquidity. Both ZUQ and ZGQ are well-suited for long-term equity investments, offering diversified portfolios. Their risk/return ratio is attractive, marked by a Beta of less than 1.

ZSP and ZSP-U (BMO S&P 500 Index ETF) emerge as the top choices for investors seeking low-cost index funds. Tracking the S&P 500 Index, a robust representation of the US economy, these ETFs stand out for their minimal management fees. ZSP is unhedged against currency risk, while ZSP-U is exclusively purchasable in US dollars. The decision between hedged, unhedged, or US dollar funds hinges on individual expectations regarding exchange rates, with long-term impacts on exchange losses or gains typically proving minimal.

ZBK (BMO Equal Weight US Banks) provides exposure to the US banking sector, albeit with a Beta of 1.47 over the past 5 years, indicating a volatility level almost one and a half times higher than the market. With assets under management totaling $880 million, ZBK remains a significant player in this segment.

ZID (BMO Indian Equities) focuses on Indian companies, offering a valuable avenue for diversification within an existing portfolio by tapping into the potential of a promising emerging market. While relatively smaller in size with $107 million in assets under management, ZID provides investors with exposure to the opportunities presented by the Indian market.

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ZQQ  – BMO Nasdaq 100 Hedged To CAD Index ETF

ZQQ Strategy

BMO Nasdaq 100 Equity Hedged to CAD seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of an index of securities of companies listed on the NASDAQ, net of expenses. ZQQ ranks first in our ranking of the best BMO ETFs to hold for long term.

The ZQQ is hedged for currency risk.

The Nasdaq-100 is one of the world’s leading large-cap growth indices. It includes 100 of the largest national and international non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq by market capitalization.

This index is dominated by companies in the technology sector.

47.93% Technology

19.77% Communications Services

18.25% Consumer Discretionary

ZQQ Morningstar rating

(Source: TD Market research)

ZQQ Holdings

ZUQ – BMO MSCI USA High Quality Index

ZUQ strategy and sector allocation

The BMO MSCI USA High Quality seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the MSCI USA Quality Index, net of expenses. The index is 100% invested in the United States.

The fund selects the securities according to the criteria below:

• Large or medium-sized business;

• High return on equity;

• Sustained growth in revenues;

• Low debt ratio

ZUQ Sector allocation – Top 3

45.83% Technology

20.49% Healthcare

10.80% Communication service

ZUQ Morningstar rating

(Source: TD Market research)

ZUQ Holdings

ZGQ – BMO MSCI All Cntry Wrld High Qlty ETF

ZGQ Strategy and sector allocation

The BMO MSCI World High Quality ETF seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the MSCI All Country World High Quality Index, net of expenses. ZGQ is a global ETF. While ZUQ invests mainly in the American market.

The fund selects the securities according to the criteria below:

• Large or medium-sized business;

• High return on equity;

• Sustained growth in revenues;

• Low debt ratio

ZGQ Geographical breakdown of the Top 5 portfolio

68.32% United States

5.35% Switzerland

3.91% Taiwan

3.42% United Kingdom

3.38% China

 ZGQ Sector allocation – Top 3

38.95% Technology

15.57% Healthcare

13.38% Communication service

ZGQ Morningstar rating

(Source: TD Market research)

ZGQ Holdings

ZID – BMO India Equity Index

ZID Strategy and sector allocation

The BMO Indian Equity ETF provides exposure to the Indian market which is one of the most promising emerging markets. The fund acquires certificates (ADRs) from major Indian companies listed on the Toronto, London and New York stock exchanges (NYSE and NASDAQ).

ZID sector allocation – Top 3

45.20% Financial Services

20.62% Technology

14.39% Energy

ZID Holdings

ZBK – BMO Equal Weight US Bank  

ZBK STtrategy

The BMO Equal Weight US Banks ETF has been designed to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the Solactive Equal Weight US Bank Index, net of expenses. The Fund invests and holds the constituent securities of the index in the same proportion as that reflected in the index.

ZBK’s sector allocation is 100% in the financial sector.

ZBK Holdings

ZSP-U et ZSP – BMO S&P 500 Index ETF

ZSP Strategy

The BMO S&P 500 ETF seeks to replicate, to the extent possible, the performance of the S&P 500 Index, net of expenses. ZSP invests in the constituent securities of the index and holds these securities in a proportion equal to that which they represent in the index.

ZSP-U is a Canadian ETF however it only trades in US $.

ZSP is a Canadian ETF that trades in Canadian $ and is not hedged against currency risk.

ZSP-U vs ZSP which one to choose

If you are uncertain between a hedged, unhedged or US $ ETF, please refer to the table below:

S.P. 500 Index

The S&P 500 Index, or the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, is a market-capitalization-weighted index of the 500 largest publicly-traded companies in the U.S. 

The S&P 500 is an excellent index because most of its constituents are large established US corporations. It’s well diversified across various sectors of the US economy. The index is widely regarded as the best gauge of large-cap U.S. equities. It can be easily used to express an opinion on the US economy in general. In other words, if you are bullish on the performance of the American economy in the long term, it’s probably the best index for you.

ZSP-U Portefeuille

BMO investorline review

BMO Bank of Montreal offers a wide variety of different ETFs. It is in fact one of the largest issuers of exchange-traded funds in Canada. BMO’s brokerage service is offered under the BMO InvestorLine.

According to the Milliondollarjourney website, BMO investorline offers several advantages:

BMO investorline pros

• Best broker / bank;

• One of the best brokerage platform;

• App on phone is one of the best in the market;

• BMO is a major bank in Canada;

• Multiple resources to educate clients;

BMO investorline Cons

• Relatively high transaction costs compared to online brokers such as Questrade and Qtrade