- As of Nov 4, 2026, the median stock ETF finished 4.3 points from its ETFIQ benchmark over a year, and the median bond ETF finished 0.60 points away.
In plain words
Tracking difference is how far a fund’s return strayed from its index over a period. If an index rose 10% and the fund 9.8%, the difference is 0.2 points. Part is the fee; the rest is trading costs and how the fund is built.
The median stock ETF finished 4.3 points from its benchmark over a year, across 941 funds; bond ETFs 0.60 points, across 294. Stock gaps run wider because many funds are active or follow a different index. A small gap is the goal for an index fund. ETFIQ shows sign, window and date, and only against the benchmark a fund names.
Questions
- Is tracking difference the same as tracking error?
No. Difference is the gap in return over a period. Error is how much the gap varies from day to day.
- Why does a fund trail its index?
The fee comes out of returns, and the fund pays trading costs the index does not.
- Where do I see a fund’s gap?
On its fund page, beside its benchmark, with the window and the date.