An index fund is a type of investment fund that replicates the performance of a market index by holding all (or a representative sample of) the stocks in that index.
Popular Asian Index Funds/ETFs
| Fund | Tracks | Expense Ratio |
| iShares MSCI Japan (EWJ) | Japan broad market | 0.50% |
| iShares China Large-Cap (FXI) | China top 50 | 0.74% |
| iShares India 50 (INDY) | Nifty 50 | 0.90% |
| iShares MSCI South Korea (EWY) | Korea broad market | 0.59% |
Why Index Funds Are Popular
- Low cost: 0.03-0.50% vs 1-2% for active funds
- Diversification: one fund = hundreds of stocks
- Performance: most active managers underperform their index over 10+ years
How to Invest in Asian Markets via ETFs
Most major brokers (Interactive Brokers, eToro) offer Asian market ETFs. You can buy a single Japan ETF instead of researching individual Japanese stocks.