Key facts · ETFs in 2026 · updated Oct. 30, 2026
- What an ETF is: a basket of stocks or bonds that trades like a single share
- Colombia ETF: COLO (formerly GXG), +35% in 2026, ≈4.2% yield, 0.62% fee
- Costs: broad U.S. index ETFs often charge 0.03%–0.10% a year
- Dividend ETFs: pay income quarterly or monthly; yields vary widely
Market data via TradingView (delayed). Not investment advice.
Updated Oct. 28, 2026 · Returns refreshed monthly
Exchange-traded funds have become the default building block for investors worldwide, from pension funds to first-time savers. One trade buys you hundreds of companies at a cost that can be as low as $3 a year per $10,000. This guide explains how ETFs work, covers the funds that give exposure to Colombia’s stock market and the most popular Wall Street ETFs with real 2026 performance, shows what $1,000 invested in January is worth today, compares the leading dividend ETFs in actual dollars of income, and answers the questions investors ask most.
An ETF is a basket of stocks or bonds that trades on an exchange like a single share. Colombia’s flagship, iCOLCAP, is up 21.9% in pesos in 2026, about 46% in dollar terms after the peso’s rally. The VOO S&P 500 fund costs 0.03% a year and is up 12.2%: $1,000 invested in January is about $1,122 today. Dividend ETFs such as SCHD pay around 3% a year; JEPI pays nearly 8%, with trade-offs.
What is an ETF?
An exchange-traded fund (ETF) pools many assets, such as stocks, bonds or gold, into a single fund whose shares trade on an exchange throughout the day, just like a stock. Most ETFs track an index: buy one share of an S&P 500 ETF and you own a sliver of all 500 companies, weighted as in the index.
Dozens or hundreds of holdings in one trade; a single company’s collapse barely registers.
Index ETFs charge from 0.03% a year, versus 1%–2% for many active funds.
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Open TradingView → · Affiliate linkHow an ETF works
- A sponsor (BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street, Global X) chooses an index to track.
- The fund buys the index constituents in the same proportions.
- The fund is split into shares that trade on an exchange; market makers keep the price close to the value of the holdings.
- An annual fee, the expense ratio, is deducted automatically.
- Dividends from the holdings are paid out or reinvested.
Types of ETFs
| Type | Tracks | Examples | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broad index | An entire market | VOO, VTI, iCOLCAP | Long-term core |
| Sector | One industry | SMH, XLE | Thematic bets; more volatile |
| Dividend | High-yield or dividend-growth stocks | SCHD, VYM, JEPI | Income |
| Bond | Government or corporate debt | GXTESCOL, TLT | Stability, interest |
| Commodity | Gold, oil | GLD | Hedging |
| International | Other countries or regions | VT, EEM, ILF | Global diversification |
| Thematic/active | Innovation, AI, etc. | ARKK | High conviction, high risk |
Fundamentals, charts, valuation and side-by-side comparisons of stocks, ETFs and funds worldwide, including Colombian ADRs. There is a free plan to start.
Try Koyfin → · Affiliate linkETFs for Colombian stocks: 2026 data
| ETF | BVC ticker | Sponsor | Holdings | 2026 YTD (COP) | Liquidity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares COLCAP | ICOLCAP | iShares (BlackRock) | ~20 stocks of the MSCI COLCAP index | +21.9% | High (most traded ETF on the BVC) |
| Horizons Colombia Select | HCOLSEL | Horizons / Global X | S&P-selected Colombian stocks | +23.5% | Low |
| Colombia TES bond ETF | GXTESCOL | Global X | Colombian government TES bonds | +10.8% | Low |
| BTG Pactual Teva Equity Colombia | TEVAICOL | BTG Pactual | Colombian equities | -2.0% | Medium |
| iShares Core S&P 500 (BVC listing) | CSPX | iShares (BlackRock) | S&P 500 traded in pesos | -7.7% | Low |
iCOLCAP is the workhorse: the simplest single-trade exposure to the Colombian market, driven in 2026 by Ecopetrol (+44%), Grupo Sura (+31.7%) and the banks. Because the peso has strengthened about 20% against the dollar, its dollar-terms return is roughly +46%. See the best Colombian stocks of 2026.
Horizons Colombia Select (+23.5%) and the TES bond ETF (+10.8%) are thinly traded. The local S&P 500 listing (CSPX) shows the currency effect in reverse: −7.7% in pesos despite the index rising 12% in dollars.
Foreign investors usually access Colombian equities through NYSE-listed ADRs, which are more liquid than local ETFs: Ecopetrol (EC) is up 71.7% in dollars in 2026 and Bancolombia/Cibest (CIB) 51.4%. Broader Latin America ETFs such as ILF (+8.3%) hold only a small Colombian slice.
The Colombia ETF: COLO (formerly GXG)
The main U.S.-listed fund for Colombian stocks is the Global X MSCI Colombia ETF. It traded as GXG until June 2025 and now trades as COLO. As of Oct. 29, 2026 it was at $48.08, up about 35% this year, with a trailing yield near 4.2% and a 0.62% expense ratio. Full COLO guide: holdings, dividend and risks →
The most popular Wall Street ETFs: 2026 data
| ETF | Ticker | Tracks | 2026 YTD | Expense ratio | Assets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPDR S&P 500 | SPY | S&P 500 | +12.2% | 0.09 % | $804B |
| Vanguard S&P 500 | VOO | S&P 500 | +12.2% | 0.03 % | $1.05T |
| Invesco QQQ | QQQ | Nasdaq 100 | +16.3% | 0.18 % | $472B |
| Vanguard Total Stock Market | VTI | Total U.S. market | +12.1% | 0.03 % | $691B |
| Vanguard Total World | VT | Total world | +10.8% | 0.06 % | $83B |
| SPDR Dow Jones | DIA | Dow Jones | +8.6% | 0.16 % | $46B |
| iShares Russell 2000 | IWM | Small caps | +13.1% | 0.19 % | $74B |
| Schwab US Dividend | SCHD | Dividends | +27.7% | 0.06 % | $119B |
| VanEck Semiconductor | SMH | Semiconductors | +51.2% | 0.35 % | $66B |
| Energy Select Sector | XLE | Energy | +52.5% | 0.08 % | $46B |
| Vanguard Information Technology | VGT | Technology | +28.9% | 0.09 % | $148B |
| SPDR Gold Shares | GLD | Gold | -7.3% | 0.40 % | $135B |
| ARK Innovation | ARKK | Innovation | +8.5% | 0.75 % | — |
| iShares MSCI Emerging Markets | EEM | Emerging markets | +11.9% | 0.72 % | $29B |
| iShares Latin America 40 | ILF | Latin America | +8.3% | 0.47 % | $3.5B |
| iShares 20+ Year Treasury | TLT | Long U.S. Treasuries | -6.6% | 0.15 % | $48B |
Broad S&P 500 funds (VOO, SPY, VTI) are up about 12%. Sector winners, semiconductors (SMH +51%) and energy (XLE +53%), have quadrupled the index but with far higher volatility. Gold (GLD −7.3%) and long Treasuries (TLT −6.6%) are negative with yields near 5%. VOO now manages more than $1 trillion at 0.03% a year.
What $1,000 invested on Jan. 1 is worth today
| ETF | Invested | Worth today | Gain/loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPY | $1,000 | $1,122 | +$122 |
| VOO | $1,000 | $1,122 | +$122 |
| QQQ | $1,000 | $1,163 | +$163 |
| VTI | $1,000 | $1,121 | +$121 |
| VT | $1,000 | $1,109 | +$109 |
| DIA | $1,000 | $1,086 | +$86 |
| IWM | $1,000 | $1,131 | +$131 |
| SCHD | $1,000 | $1,277 | +$277 |
| SMH | $1,000 | $1,512 | +$512 |
| XLE | $1,000 | $1,525 | +$525 |
| VGT | $1,000 | $1,289 | +$289 |
| GLD | $1,000 | $927 | −$73 |
| ARKK | $1,000 | $1,085 | +$85 |
| EEM | $1,000 | $1,119 | +$119 |
| ILF | $1,000 | $1,083 | +$83 |
| TLT | $1,000 | $934 | −$66 |
For iCOLCAP, $1,000 converted to pesos in January (about COP 3.77 million) would be worth about COP 4.6 million today, roughly $1,462 at the current exchange rate.
Calculator: what would your ETF be worth today?
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Year-to-date price change through Oct. 27, 2026, before dividends and fees. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Starting small: ETFs from $5
- Fractional shares: most U.S. brokers let you buy a slice of VOO, QQQ or SCHD for $1–$5.
- Automatic investing: many apps allow recurring weekly or monthly purchases, a simple way to dollar-cost average.
- Colombia exposure from the U.S.: local Colombian ETFs are hard to access from abroad; ADRs such as EC and CIB are the practical alternative.
Dividend ETFs: how much income in real dollars
| ETF | Ticker | Yield | Pays | 2026 price return | Expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schwab US Dividend Equity | SCHD | 3.00% | Quarterly | +27.7% | 0.06% |
| Vanguard High Dividend Yield | VYM | 2.26% | Quarterly | +13.1% | 0.04% |
| iShares Core High Dividend | HDV | 2.71% | Quarterly | +24.4% | 0.08% |
| iShares Select Dividend | DVY | 3.33% | Quarterly | +13.4% | 0.38% |
| SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend | SPYD | 4.26% | Quarterly | +11.6% | 0.07% |
| JPMorgan Equity Premium Income | JEPI | 7.97% | Monthly | -0.3% | 0.35% |
| Vanguard Dividend Appreciation | VIG | 1.49% | Quarterly | +11.1% | 0.04% |
| iShares Core Dividend Growth | DGRO | 1.87% | Quarterly | +14.9% | 0.08% |
| Vanguard S&P 500 (benchmark) | VOO | 1.05% | Quarterly | +12.2% | 0.03% |
| Per $10,000 invested | Gross income/yr | Per month | After 30% withholding (non-U.S. investor)/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCHD | $300 | $25 | $210 |
| VYM | $226 | $19 | $158 |
| HDV | $271 | $23 | $190 |
| SPYD | $426 | $36 | $298 |
| JEPI | $797 | $66 | $558 |
| VOO | $105 | $9 | $74 |
U.S. investors receive the gross amount (taxed at home); non-U.S. residents such as Colombians typically face 30% U.S. withholding. Based on trailing yields; future dividends can change.
JEPI pays nearly 8% but its price is flat in 2026 (−0.3%): much of its income comes from selling call options, which caps upside. SCHD yields 3% and its price is up 27.7%. Judge dividend funds on total return.
How much would you need for $1,000 a month in gross dividend income? About $150,600 in JEPI, $281,700 in SPYD, $400,000 in SCHD, or $1.14 million in VOO.
Why fees matter so much
ETFs vs. individual stocks vs. mutual funds
| Index ETF | Single stock | Mutual fund | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diversification | High | None | High |
| Annual cost | 0.03%–0.75% | None beyond trading costs | Often 0.5%–2% |
| Intraday trading | Yes | Yes | No (end-of-day pricing) |
| Single-company risk | Low | High | Low |
| Research needed | Minimal | Significant | Minimal |
How to buy ETFs
- U.S. ETFs: any brokerage; many allow fractional shares from $1–$5. From Colombia, see our broker comparison.
- Colombian ETFs (iCOLCAP, GXTESCOL): through a Colombian brokerage supervised by the Superintendencia Financiera or apps such as trii; foreigners need a local custodian.
- Practical tips: use limit orders, check the expense ratio and the bid-ask spread, and prefer liquid funds.
Risks
- Market risk: diversification does not prevent broad declines; the S&P 500 fell about 19% in 2022.
- Concentration: iCOLCAP leans on Ecopetrol and banks; QQQ on a handful of tech giants.
- Currency: foreign ETFs gain or lose with exchange rates.
- Liquidity: thinly traded ETFs can carry wide spreads.
- Leveraged and inverse ETFs: designed for short-term trading, not buy-and-hold.
Critical take: are ETFs right for everyone?
Low-cost index ETFs are arguably the most important financial innovation for small investors in decades. Long-term data show most actively managed funds trail their benchmark after fees. Yet three caveats matter. The Colombian ETF menu is thin and illiquid beyond iCOLCAP, which itself tracks a small, oil- and bank-heavy market rebounding from years of losses. The success of S&P 500 funds has concentrated money in the largest companies, raising single-stock risk inside the index. And investors often mistake sector funds like SMH and XLE for core holdings; sector leadership rotates, and this year’s winner can be next year’s laggard.
Bolsa al Día informs and explains; we do not tell you what to buy. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ETF in simple terms?
A basket of stocks, bonds or other assets that trades on an exchange like a single share. One purchase gives you exposure to everything in the basket.
What is the best ETF for Colombian stocks?
The most liquid is iShares’ iCOLCAP, which tracks the MSCI COLCAP index and is up 21.9% in pesos in 2026 through Oct. 27. Foreign investors often use NYSE-listed ADRs such as EC and CIB instead.
What is the most popular ETF in the world?
S&P 500 ETFs: SPY, the oldest and most traded, and VOO, the largest with more than $1 trillion in assets at a 0.03% fee.
How much did the S&P 500 ETF return in 2026?
VOO is up about 12.2% year to date through Oct. 27, 2026, before dividends: $1,000 became about $1,122.
Which ETFs pay the highest dividends?
Among popular funds, JEPI yields about 8% (monthly), SPYD 4.3%, DVY 3.3% and SCHD 3%. Higher yield can mean lower growth.
How much does SCHD pay on $10,000?
About $300 a year in gross dividends, paid quarterly; about $210 after 30% withholding for non-U.S. residents.
Can I lose money in an ETF?
Yes. Gold ETF GLD is down 7.3% and long-Treasury ETF TLT 6.6% in 2026.
What is an expense ratio?
The annual fee, as a percentage of your investment, deducted automatically. 0.03% equals $3 a year per $10,000.
ETFs or individual stocks?
ETFs reduce single-company risk and require little research; individual stocks can outperform or underperform sharply. Bolsa al Día does not recommend either.
Which ETFs are up the most in 2026?
Among large U.S. ETFs, energy (XLE, +52.5%) and semiconductors (SMH, +51.2%). In Colombia, Horizons Colombia Select (+23.5%) and iCOLCAP (+21.9%).
Related: What are TES? · Best-performing stocks of 2026 · Why the peso is so strong · Leer en español
🧾 Living in Colombia? Check whether you must file a 2027 return in our Colombia tax guide for expats.
Data: TradingView, Oct. 27, 2026 close. Year-to-date price returns excluding dividends and fees; trailing 12-month dividend yields; expense ratios and assets per TradingView and sponsors. Updated Oct. 27, 2026.
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