Find share indexes
Use our smart search to find share indexes based on what matters to you
Invest in local companies or diversify by looking abroad
See indexes which include companies with ESG credentials
Select large established companies or small fast-growing ones
Frequently Asked Questions
This page is designed to introduce you to a range of indexes that could fit in your portfolio. Use our smart form to produce a list of indexes that meet your criteria.
As this page is only designed to introduce you to indexes you may want to invest in, you should carry out a more comprehensive analysis of the risk associated with investing in any of the listed funds.
If you’re looking for performance data, you should check your broker.
Remember to click on an index to see a list of individual Funds and ETFs, these are what is listed on investing platforms. Your broker should then be able to provide you with current and historic performance information.
If you’re looking for a platform, try our Investment ISAs comparison page.
Historically, the size of a company has moved inversely to risk and return. Large cap companies, defined as having total shares outstanding (or market capitalisation) of over £10bn, tend to grow more slowly than smaller companies, but have on average more stable returns. Small cap companies have historically had higher long term returns than large cap stocks, but are more volatile, particularly during rough general market conditions.
Investors should review their ability and willingness to accept investment risk and before decising on share investment allocations, including how to split between large and small cap companies.
Those in a position to accept higher investment risk, and who are looking to maximise long-term returns, may look to a higher portfolio allocation to a basket of small-cap stocks with higher growth potential. Inversely, those looking for more steady stable returns may prefer to skew their share allocation towards more established large cap stocks.
Our Asset mixes calculator can help you think about your ability and willingness to accept investment risk.
Indexes we have listed here with an 'ESG' flag will select companies to include in the index based on their Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) credentials.
Non-ESG indexes may include companies with strong ESG credentials however this is not the primary reason for their inclusion in the respective index.
Investors may choose to invest in ESG indexes because their priority is to invest in companies that are in line with their own personal ethics, or because, in their view, companies with strong ESG credentials are more likely to drive higher returns than competitors in the future.
Investors may wish to invest in a specific sector because they forecast its success rate to be high relative to the rest of the market, technology for instances has outperformed the majority of other business sectors in recent years.
Investors may also wish to diversify their portfolio by investing in sectors that do not correlate with the risk of the share market. Housing for example may not always move in lockstep with the share markets, instead responding to changes to things such as borrowing rates or housing supply.
Investing in your domestic shares market may have some benefits such as: no cross-currency risks, some protection against inflation (share prices tend to increase with inflation) and you share in any gains with the rest of the country. In terms of downsides, you are double hit if your income is linked to the local economy in the event of a market downturn.
A prudent approach to investing is to buy shares across a range of different geographies which provide diversification to your portfolio.
This list is not exhaustive so please be aware there will be other index funds available to you.
We compiled this list by surveying some of the popular whole-of-market brokerage companies within the UK.