How to invest in EURO STOXX 50 index funds in 2023

By:

Prash Raval

Prash is a financial writer for Invezz covering FX, the stock market and investing. For over a decade he has traded spot FX full time while... read more.

Updated: May 12, 2023

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It only takes a few minutes to invest in the EURO STOXX 50 index. One of the simplest and most popular ways to invest is to buy shares in a Vanguard EURO STOXX 50 ETF through an online trading platform.

Where can I invest in the EURO STOXX 50 index?

According to our expert research, eToro is the best ETF broker to invest in EURO STOXX 50 index funds. 

Both EURO STOXX 50 ETFs and EURO STOXX 50 CFDs are available to invest in through eToro .

Here are three more places to buy the EURO STOXX 50, ranked according to their cost, security, and features.

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How do I invest in the STOXX50E index?

The easiest way is to sign up to a stock broker, open an investment account, and buy shares in an EURO STOXX 50 ETF or CFD. This guide explains how to do it:

Step 1. Sign up to eToro

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We recommend using eToro to invest in EURO STOXX 50. Sign up for a brokerage account and deposit some money. You may need to supply a form of photo ID to verify the account.

Most Popular

1

Min. Deposit

$ 10

Best offer

User Score

10

Up to $240 bonus!

Deposit with ACA, Wire, Pay with my bank

Invest for dividends and get payout on stocks on Ex-Dividend day

Start Trading more info

Payment Methods:

Bank Transfer, Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Wire Transfer

Full Regulations:

CySEC, FCA

77% of retail CFD accounts lose money.

Step 2. Decide how to buy EURO STOXX 50

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This boils down to choosing between an EURO STOXX 50 ETF or CFD. ETFs are generally better suited to investors who want to passively track the EURO STOXX 50’s performance. CFDs offer a greater range of trading options: you can use leverage, short the index, or buy and sell it outside of trading hours.

Step 3. Invest in the EURO STOXX 50

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Sign into your trading account and search for the EURO STOXX 50. Hit the ‘buy’ button and enter the details of your purchase, such as how much you want to spend. Hit ‘buy’ again to execute the trade.

Step 4. Monitor your investment

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When you buy a CFD, the trade goes through more or less instantly, and you’ll be able to see your new open position in your trading account. ETF purchases can take longer, and if you buy outside of traditional trading hours it won’t go through until the next morning.

Your trading account will show the price change in the EURO STOXX 50 since you bought it, so you can see your profit/loss at a glance. Use that information, along with your own research, to decide when to sell the EURO STOXX 50 and close your position, ideally at a profit!.

The different ways to invest in the STOXX50E

As we mentioned above, there are numerous ways to put your money into the EURO STOXX 50. ETFs and CFDs are the simplest options for beginners, but there are alternatives. Here’s a brief overview of each option and who it’s best suited for.

EURO STOXX 50 ETFs

An ETF (exchange-traded fund) is an investment fund traded on a stock exchange, much like a stock. Exchange traded funds can hold different assets, such as individual stocks, bonds, or commodities, or serve as a proxy for a stock market index.

An EURO STOXX 50 ETF is one way of investing in the EURO STOXX 50. It’s simply an investment fund that mirrors the performance of the EURO STOXX 50. When you buy shares in the fund, the value of your investment will rise or fall with the EURO STOXX 50 itself. 

ETFs are ideal for new investors because they have a very low minimum investment. You can start with a few pounds and get exposure to some of the world’s largest companies. They’re also practical if you plan on trading the EURO STOXX 50 index, because you can buy or sell shares in the fund throughout the day.

Examples of popular STOXX50E ETFs

• HSBC EURO STOXX 50 UCITS ETF EUR
• Lyxor Core EURO STOXX 50 (DR) UCITS ETF Acc
• Xtrackers EURO STOXX 50 UCITS ETF 1C

EURO STOXX 50 index funds

An index or mutual fund is an investment fund that aims to track the performance of a stock market index, such as the EURO STOXX 50. It’s very similar to an ETF, in that there are low management fees and you can buy shares through your online broker.

However, there are a couple of differences. EURO STOXX 50 index funds are only priced at the end of each trading day, so you can buy or sell shares in the fund once per day. There may also be a higher barrier to entry, through a much larger minimum investment when you invest in EURO STOXX 50 index funds.

That means an EURO STOXX 50 mutual fund is better suited for long term investors with a higher initial budget, where the infrequent trading and barriers to entry are far less of an issue.

Examples of popular STOXX50E index funds/mutual funds

• Fidelity Funds EURO STOXX 50 Fund A-EUR

EURO STOXX 50 CFDs

CFDs (contracts for difference) are a way to speculate on EURO STOXX 50 price changes with more flexibility than if you use an ETF or index fund. A CFD is a ‘derivative’, which means it gets its value from the underlying asset – in this case the EURO STOXX 50 – but it’s separate from it.

As a result, CFDs can be leveraged, where you borrow money to multiply the size of the trade, or they can be used to go ‘short’, where you place a trade on the index to fall in value. You can also buy and sell them outside of regular trading hours.

All of this means EURO STOXX 50 CFDs offer the potential to outperform a fund that passively tracks the EURO STOXX 50’s performance. Of course, you can also underperform it as well. Tools like leverage and shorting introduce a lot more risk, and are best left to experienced traders.

EURO STOXX 50 futures

Futures contracts are agreements to buy or sell the STOXX50E at an agreed price on a set date in the future. EURO STOXX 50 futures are a means to predict how you think the index is going to perform over a set time frame, such as the next three or six months.

Most futures contracts involve leverage, so you only put up a small part of the total trade value (the margin) when you buy one. That makes futures more risky, and they require a bit more financial expertise to understand as well.

Some traders use futures as a hedge against the performance of stocks they own. For instance, if you own stocks that are part of the EURO STOXX 50 then you might want to short the EURO STOXX 50 so that you still make some money if the price falls.

EURO STOXX 50 stocks

Another way to invest in the EURO STOXX 50 is to buy shares in the individual stocks that the index tracks. It isn’t practical to buy every share in the index, but you can invest directly into a few of the most heavily weighted stocks in the EURO STOXX 50 in order to get broad exposure to its performance.

The most heavily weighted stocks in the EURO STOXX 50 tend to be the largest companies by market capitalisation. If you invest directly in those largest stocks, you gain exposure to the index without taking on the risk of all the underlying companies.

One reason to do this is that these larger companies with the highest market cap dominate the index anyway, so that it can give you the impression of a diversified portfolio while actually being reliant on the performance of those particular stocks.

For the EURO STOXX 50 index, the largest stocks you might choose to invest in are:

The flip side of investing directly like this is that you lose the diversification and stability that comes with buying into an entire index. It requires much more hands-on management to do your own stock picking, so it’s best suited to more experienced investors.

How much does it cost to invest in the EURO STOXX 50 index?

From $0 to $5, depending on how you invest. For each option, you must consider the cost of buying the actual asset, whether that’s an ETF, index fund, CFD, or share, plus the fees associated with it.

*A fee comparison of 3 leading brokers for example purposes

ETFs and CFDs are generally the cheapest option overall, as they have low fees and a low minimum investment. Index funds and mutual funds have low fees but may have a high minimum investment. Buying individual stocks is the most expensive option in absolute terms, because the share price of a single large company is often more than $100.

All options are likely to include a trading fee, which you pay each time you make a transaction. Some trading platforms offer zero-fee trading, with others it may be a few dollars. 

Then ETFs and index funds each have their own expense ratio. Expense ratios refer to an annual management fee, charged as a percentage of your total investment. Expense ratios are usually no more than 0.05%, so if you invest $1,000, you would pay $5 per year in management fees.

Should I invest in the EURO STOXX 50 index? 

Yes, EURO STOXX 50 investing is a great choice if you’re looking for a safer investment with more price stability compared to picking individual stocks. It gives you an instantly diverse portfolio with exposure to a broad area of the stock market.

The flip side is that you have less control over which companies you invest in. An index committee decides how the index works, and you can’t pick and choose the underlying companies you like the most. The EURO STOXX 50 is better suited to hands-off investors, compared to those who have the skills, experience, and desire to pick their own stocks.

What are the advantages of investing in the EURO STOXX 50 index?

An index provides instant stock market diversification, where you spread your risk across a large number of underlying companies, rather than one or two. Here are some more reasons why you might want to invest in the EURO STOXX 50 index:

• It’s a diverse index. The Euro Stoxx 50 index comprises 50 blue chip companies from across the Eurozone. These companies are spread across multiple industries and the index provides a level of diversification. 
• The STOXX 50 is stable. The Euro Stoxx 50 tends to be less volatile than other European indices. This makes it a top option for investors looking for more stability in their portfolios. 
• It’s a large index. The Stoxx 50 has a market capitalisation of over €2.5 trillion, making it one of the largest in Europe. Its sheer size means it includes some of the biggest names in European business. 
• There are many ETFs tracking the index. Due to the Stoxx 50’s popularity and size, there are a number of ETFs that track its performance. This means investors have more choices, which has resulted in several providers offering cheaper fund options. 

What are the disadvantages of investing in the EURO STOXX 50 index?

The main risk of investing in the EURO STOXX 50 is that all the underlying companies are related in some way, so a broader economic downturn that affected the entire country would likely affect many stocks in the index at the same time. Here are some more risks of EURO STOXX 50 investing.

• It is weighted towards a few companies. The EURO STOXX 50 is weighted towards a few large companies. The top ten companies account for over half of the index’s total market cap, which means a significant downturn in one or two of these businesses could have a negative impact on the index. 
• There is limited exposure to small markets. As the EURO STOXX only includes developed European markets, investors looking to put their money into emerging markets will need to consider another index. It mainly includes companies from well established countries in the Eurozone. 

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