Display of ETFs in the justETF search

... and why restrictions sometimes occur

The justETF search allows access to ETFs and ETCs/ETNs listed on an exchange in Europe. Around 3,000 ETFs are in the database we manage. For each ETF, you will find extensive information and historical performance at justETF. In this tutorial, we explain which ETFs and ETCs/ETNs you can access and why there are sometimes restrictions. Because you can actually trade all ETFs worldwide with a securities account, as long as your broker allows it. And yet the justETF search often lacks products that many investor media like to mention – such as the popular ARK ETFs of US investment legend Cathie Wood. Since we at justETF maintain our database very carefully, there is always a reason why some ETFs or similar products do not appear in the justETF search.

Sales approval depending on country

For example, ETF providers must comply with legal consumer protection regulations regarding the availability of their ETFs in a particular country. Only then may a broker make this ETF tradable. This benefits you because the key consumer information (KIID) and other fund documents must be available in the corresponding language. Furthermore, this also includes a securities supervision of your country. Which ETFs are offered in which country is decided by the ETF provider. If you purchase an ETF that is not authorised in your country at your own request and your broker offers it for trading, you are not acting against the law. However, you may have to accept disadvantages in terms of tax, trading costs and, for example, the receipt of distributions. For this reason, only ETFs that are authorised for distribution in your country of origin are displayed in the justETF search. At justETF, we offer localisations for Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg.

You set your country of origin at the top right of the home page

This also means that investors will find a different range of ETFs in each European country. The largest offer is in Germany. For all listed countries, the respective ETF offering is fully available at justETF. The differences are particularly large due to the different fund legislations between Switzerland and the EU countries. This is particularly true for the offer of physical gold ETCs, which may be launched as ETFs in Switzerland. If an ETF is not authorised in your country, you will receive an indication of this in the ETF search and in the ETF profile: The selection "Institutional Investor" in the indication of the country of origin is intended for investment firms and asset managers that are not subject to the special regulations on consumer protection. Therefore, more ETFs are visible with this setting.

Listing on the domestic stock exchange

In addition, we recommend trading at the conditions of a domestic stock exchange. Therefore, depending on the country of origin, you will find the filter for the securities exchanges preset to the home exchange. In Germany this is Xetra, in Switzerland for example SIX. Investors from Germany, France or Italy also benefit from exchange trading platforms such as gettex and LS Exchange, which offer even more listings than the home exchange. Since trading on these trading platforms is possible at domestic conditions, these are also taken into account in the default settings. This restriction applies if you narrow down the ETFs via search filters in the justETF search. If you know the ISIN, the abbreviation or the WKN of an ETF, you can also find the ETF by entering it in the search bar, regardless of the trading venue – provided the ETF is authorised for distribution in your country of origin. The tutorial Filter ETFs with the ETF Screener describes the selection options for the trading venues.

Short- and Leveraged ETFs

You will not immediately find ETFs that use leveraged or short-selling strategies via the justETF search. In order to use this product type, prior knowledge of the associated risks is required. You must therefore go directly to the selection in the left column of the justETF search and select Short & Leveraged ETFs. The display only takes place after a warning message has been released.

Which products we do not show at all

ETFs are freely accessible to all investors with a securities account through stock exchange trading. This makes them ideal for building up assets on one's own. Products that do not meet these requirements cannot be listed with us. Active funds: These funds are actively managed and are not admitted to trading on an exchange with a prospectus. They are usually only available through fund platforms, fund brokers or branch banks. We do not list these funds because they are not available everywhere for self-directed investment. In addition, these funds incur substantial management fees and hidden distribution fees. You can find more on this in our article Passive versus Active Investing. Active funds are also traded in the secondary market at some trading venues. However, this is associated with comparatively low liquidity. Hidden, ongoing distribution costs are collected by the online broker after acquisition in exchange trading. Index funds: This type of fund is very similar to ETFs. The fund portfolio is managed strictly according to an index. However, index funds are not traded freely on stock exchanges like ETFs, but are only available via fund platforms or special investment services.  ETFs from the USA: In the home country USA, there are numerous ETFs on the NYSE or Nasdaq exchanges. You can recognise the ETFs by the first two letters of the ISIN, which for US ETFs are "US". An investment can be associated with legal and tax disadvantages as well as additional costs. Read more in our article US-domiciled ETFs: why they are no longer available from many online brokers

ETF still not found? Contact us

You cannot find the ETF you are looking for even after reading this tutorial? Then send us a message and we will get back to you about it.