Portfolio Concentration Norms for Equity Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Index Funds
Summary
This circular establishes portfolio concentration norms for Equity Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Index Funds to mitigate risk. It mandates specific limits on index constituents, stock weights, and trading liquidity metrics that the underlying indices must satisfy. Issuers are required to ensure compliance with these norms through quarterly evaluations and adherence to transition timelines.
Text
The index shall have a minimum of 10 stocks as its constituents.
For a sectoral/ thematic Index, no single stock shall have more than 35% weight in the index. For other than sectoral/ thematic indices, no single stock shall have more than 25% weight in the index.
The weightage of the top three constituents of the index, cumulatively shall not be more than 65% of the Index.
The individual constituent of the index shall have a trading frequency greater than or equal to 80% and an average impact cost of 1% or less over previous six months.
The aforesaid norms shall be applicable to all ETFs/ Index Funds tracking equity indices.
The ETF/ Index Fund issuer shall evaluate and ensure compliance to the aforesaid norms for all its ETFs/ Index Funds at the end of every calendar quarter.
The ETF/Index Fund issuer shall ensure that the updated constituents of the Indices (for all its ETFs/ Index Funds) are available on the website of such ETF/Index Fund issuers at all points of time.
The issuers of all the existing Equity ETFs/ Index Funds are required to ensure adherence to the new norms by all the ETFs/ Index Funds within a period of three months from the date of issuance of this circular.
The issuers shall submit the compliance status vis-à-vis these norms to SEBI before launching such ETFs/ Index Funds.
Source: SecMarx — Portfolio Concentration Norms for Equity Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Index Funds. Verbatim text is public record; SecMarx structuring (linkage to applying orders) is cited to us.