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The views and opinions in this communication do not necessarily state or reflect those of BMO Global Asset Management. The information contained herein https://www.xcritical.com/ is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. The first layer that most investors are familiar with is between the natural buyer and the natural seller, who get matched on the exchange. Think of this like going to Facebook Marketplace or Kijji to sell your car.
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- ETF Market Makers provide liquidity by buying and selling ETF shares on the secondary market.
- When they deliver back those ETF shares, the fund will retire those shares and they will take the pro rata basket of the assets in the fund and deliver that back to the market maker.
- Making a market signals a willingness to buy and sell the securities of a certain set of companies to broker-dealer firms that are members of an exchange.
- The market maker will be pricing that ETF based on the fair value of the ETF, which is where they can sell the ETF and buy the underlying basket of securities.
- Secondary Market The market in which ETF shares or common shares of public companies that currently exist are traded on exchanges between investors.
Who are the most active market makers in specific funds?
The Liquidity Provider Programme for Equities covers Equities listed on Euronext regulated markets, Euronext Growth and Euronext Access (all shares excluding those in the Euronext 100 index). The Forex Market, also known as the foreign exchange market, is the largest and most liquid… NAV trading is used to target the official NAV of an ETF how to choose liquidity provider and is most used by investors who are benchmarked to ETF NAV. Surveillance of spreads, trading and execution guidance, market depth, and volume analysis.
Do ETF market-makers typically profit from the ETF spread or the difference in the NAV and ETF price?
Another strategy is to trade during times of high liquidity, such as during regular trading hours when the underlying securities’ markets are open. Finally, investors can use ETFs that have high liquidity and trading volumes, as these ETFs are more likely to have narrow bid-ask spreads and fair prices. They provide a mechanism for investors to create or redeem ETF shares, help to ensure that the ETF’s market price remains in line with its NAV, and increase liquidity in the Initial coin offering ETF market. While there are different types of ETF market makers, they all work towards the same goal of providing liquidity to the market. Investors can also choose to trade ETFs on the global exchanges with the use of algorithms.

ETF Market Makers: Facilitating Liquidity in Creation Unit Trading
Market makers provide liquidity and depth to markets and profit from the difference in the bid-ask spread. New ETF structures selectively disclose portfolio holdings information to the public on a schedule similar to traditional actively managed mutual funds while still striving to maintain market and NAV parity. This material is from WisdomTree U.S. and is being posted with its permission. The views expressed in this material are solely those of the author and/or WisdomTree U.S. and Interactive Brokers is not endorsing or recommending any investment or trading discussed in the material. This material is not and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any security. It should not be construed as research or investment advice or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security or commodity.

Additionally, market makers ensure that there is sufficient liquidity in the market, allowing investors to buy and sell ETF shares easily, even in volatile market conditions. The creation-redemption process is the mechanism by which market makers create and redeem ETF shares. In the creation process, market makers assemble a basket of securities that mirrors the ETF’s holdings and exchange them for newly created ETF shares. In the redemption process, market makers exchange ETF shares for the underlying securities. This process ensures that there are enough ETF shares in the market to meet demand and that the ETF’s price remains in line with its NAV.
Richard holds a number of industry designations including Derivatives Market Specialist (DMS®), Fellow of CSI (FCSI®) and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA®) Charterholder. He is an alumnus of John Molson School of Business, Concordia University with a BComm in Finance and Management Information Systems. In 2019, he realized how little financial education was talked about (especially among young adults) and decided to share that passion with the world. Get Vanguard news, insights, and timely analysis on the market, delivered straight to your inbox. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree from Bridgewater State University and helps develop content strategies.
A creation unit consists of a specified number of ETF shares, generally ranging from 25,000 to 250,000 shares. The ETF shares are delivered to the AP when the specified creation basket is transferred to the fund. The fund may permit or require an AP to substitute cash for some or all of the securities or assets in the creation basket. This generally occurs when an instrument in the creation basket is difficult to obtain or may not be held by certain types of investors (such as certain foreign securities).

However, when looking at ETF volume metrics online, many stats published are only capturing the TSX data which means about 65% of the total trading volumes are not being accounted for. Therefore, look to get quotes and volume stats from sites with more robust data sets such as quotemedia.com. A quote which shows an ETF’s trading volume on all the stock exchanges is called a consolidated quote. An ETF distributor and an AP will sign an agreement “authorizing” the AP to create and redeem shares with a specific ETF.
With more than twenty years’ experience in the financial industry in North America and Asia, Saijal is Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder and has held positions as a financial strategist and analyst. Adrian is the founder of the YouTube channel “Canadian in a T-Shirt” where he creates content that breaks down topics related to personal finance, investing, taxes, credit cards and how to start a business for Canadians! His content is easy to digest, energetic and informative and created specifically for do it yourself investors. In fact, most volume data available to investors online is only showing the tip of the liquidity iceberg.
ETFs have reshaped investing for the better, expanding investors’ access to diverse and previously unavailable strategies, lowering investment costs, and promoting tax efficiency. Arguably, one of the paramount benefits is the liquidity and tradability that ETFs provide, offering investors an efficient trading vehicle for targeted market exposure. A market maker plays a key role in the securities market by providing trading services for investors and boosting market liquidity. Specifically, they provide bids and offers for securities, along with the market size.
The AP can then sell the ETF shares on the market at a higher price, earning a profit. Conversely, if an ETF is trading at a discount to its NAV, an AP can redeem ETF shares by delivering them to the custodian and receiving the underlying securities. The AP can then sell the underlying securities on the market at a higher price, earning a profit. APs are typically large financial institutions such as banks, broker-dealers, and market makers that are authorized by the ETF issuer to create and redeem Creation Units. APs are required to have a significant amount of capital, as well as the operational and technical infrastructure to facilitate the creation and redemption process. Creation Units are a critical component of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) market.
As detailed above, a creation order can have a minimum unit size of 25,000 shares. Or if, for example, they only need 20,000 shares to fulfill their current T+2 delivery obligations, they might inventory the remaining 5,000 for future needs. Danielle Neziol sits down with Julien Brault, founder of Hard Bacon, to provide an update on Inflation and discuss how ETFs can help hedge portfolios against some of the risks involved with rising inflation.
He recently took on expanded accountability leading CIBC Capital Markets’ Canadian Delta 1 derivative business in addition to his role as head of ETF and Retail Block Trading. In this capacity, Mr. Gil is responsible for institutional sales, market-making and risk management across all ETF asset classes. Richard has over 19 years of experience in the financial services industry. His key responsibilities include leading growth in BMO ETFs’ business, raising product awareness, and delivering a world-class experience to investment advisors and portfolio managers.
The creation or redemption of ETF shares—activity directly involving the ETF’s underlying securities—is categorized as primary market activity. The creation and redemption mechanism in the ETF structure allows the number of shares outstanding in an ETF to expand or contract based on demand. Each business day, ETFs publish the creation and redemption baskets for the next trading day.