{"url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark","section":"learn","title":"What is an ETF benchmark? | ETFIQ","description":"ETFIQ measures 651 ETFs against a named benchmark, including 130 against the S&P 500 and 56 against the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond index.","as_of":"Nov 4, 2026","structured_data":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark#article","headline":"What is an ETF benchmark?","description":"As of Nov 4, 2026, ETFIQ measures 651 ETFs against a named benchmark, including 130 against the S&P 500 and 56 against the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond index.","url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark","mainEntityOfPage":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark","dateModified":"2026-11-04","datePublished":"2026-11-04","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ETFIQ Research","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ETFIQ Research","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"about":"What is an ETF benchmark?","inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark#questions","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How does ETFIQ choose a fund\u2019s benchmark?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"From the fund\u2019s own documents: the index it names, then its shareholder report, then its filed holdings. A name never decides."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does the S&P 500 appear for income funds?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Many option income funds say in their reports that the S&P 500 is their yardstick. ETFIQ measures them against it and shows the gap."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is a benchmark the same as a category average?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No. A benchmark is one index. A category average is a mix of funds and can hide big differences."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ETFIQ","item":"https://etfiq.com/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learn","item":"https://etfiq.com/learn/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What is an ETF benchmark?","item":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark"}]},{"@type":"WebPage","name":"What is an ETF benchmark?","description":"ETFIQ measures 651 ETFs against a named benchmark, including 130 against the S&P 500 and 56 against the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond index.","url":"https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark","dateModified":"2026-11-04","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".lede",".faq"]},"publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org"}}],"characters":2111,"truncated":false,"content":"ETFIQ / Learn / What is an ETF benchmark? \n \n What is an ETF benchmark?\n Data as of Nov 4, 2026. Rebuilt every trading night.\n As of Nov 4, 2026, ETFIQ measures 651 ETFs against a named benchmark, including 130 against the S&P 500 and 56 against the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond index.\n \n In plain words\n A benchmark is the yardstick a fund is judged against: the index an index fund follows, or for an active or income fund the index its own report names, or its own holdings.\n ETFIQ picks each benchmark from the fund\u2019s documents, never its name: the index it says it follows, then the first broad index in its shareholder report, then its own holdings. Benchmarks are priced through an ETF tracking the index, so returns include payouts. A gap shows beside its window and date.\n Questions\n How does ETFIQ choose a fund\u2019s benchmark? From the fund\u2019s own documents: the index it names, then its shareholder report, then its filed holdings. A name never decides.\n Why does the S&P 500 appear for income funds? Many option income funds say in their reports that the S&P 500 is their yardstick. ETFIQ measures them against it and shows the gap.\n Is a benchmark the same as a category average? No. A benchmark is one index. A category average is a mix of funds and can hide big differences.\n Where to next\n Benchmarks Methodology: benchmarks Compare two ETFs What is an actively managed ETF? What is tracking difference in an ETF? What is an IQ Score? All ETF explainers How ETFIQ computes these numbers \n Cite this page. ETFIQ, What is an ETF benchmark?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data .\n Other forms Plain ETFIQ, What is an ETF benchmark?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark APA ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). What is an ETF benchmark?. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark Markdown [What is an ETF benchmark? (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark)","source":"ETFIQ, independent ETF data. Recomputed nightly from public filings and prices.","publisher":{"@id":"https://etfiq.com/#org","name":"ETFIQ","url":"https://etfiq.com"},"license":"https://etfiq.com/license/","license_text":"Data ETFIQ computes is free to use with attribution: ETFIQ (etfiq.com). Issuer data stays under its owner's terms.","citation":"ETFIQ, What is an ETF benchmark?, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/learn/what-is-an-etf-benchmark"}