How to Invest in SSE Composite Index Funds in 2025

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eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

Putting your money into an index is a simple and convenient way to create an investment portfolio, especially if you’re just getting started with investing.

An index, like the SSE Composite, provides a snapshot of a particular section of the stock market, and by investing in it, you gain exposure to a diverse portfolio of stocks, which can help reduce risk compared to investing in individual companies.

One of the best ways to invest in the SSE Composite index is through Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). ETFs are designed to track the performance of an index and are highly convenient for beginners. They allow you to buy shares in the SSE Composite with just a few clicks.

Read on to learn how to invest in the SSE Composite effectively and explore the best methods to do so. Compare different investment strategies, available ETFs and index funds, and find out why SSE Composite index investing is a low-cost, relatively low-risk approach to growing your wealth over time.

How do I invest in the SSE index?

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

Step 1. Sign up to eToro

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We recommend using eToro to invest in SSE Composite. Create your trading account and deposit some money using a payment method of your choice.

This is a fairly quick process that takes just 15-30 minutes, but you need to supply a form of photo ID to verify the account before you can use it.

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Step 2. Decide how to buy SSE Composite

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This boils down to choosing between an SSE Composite ETF or buying the stocks in the index manually. ETFs are generally better suited to investors who want to passively track the SSE Composite’s performance. Individual stocks offer a greater range of trading options and flexibility.

Step 3. Invest in the SSE Composite

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Sign into your trading account and search for the SSE Composite. 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 stock, 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 SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite and close your position, ideally at a profit!

How much does it cost to invest in the SSE Composite 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.

*Note that CFDs are not available to US investors.

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.

The different ways to invest in the SSE

As we mentioned above, there are numerous ways to put your money into the SSE Composite. ETFs and individual stocks 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.

SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite ETF is one way of investing in the SSE Composite. It’s simply an investment fund that mirrors the performance of the SSE Composite. When you buy shares in the fund, the value of your investment will rise or fall with the SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite index, because you can buy or sell shares in the fund throughout the day.

SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite. 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. SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite index funds.

That means an SSE Composite 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.

SSE Composite CFDs (non-US users only)

CFDs (contracts for difference) are a way to speculate on SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite – 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 SSE Composite CFDs offer the potential to outperform a fund that passively tracks the SSE Composite’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.

SSE Composite futures

Futures contracts are agreements to buy or sell the SSE at an agreed price on a set date in the future. SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite then you might want to short the SSE Composite so that you still make some money if the price falls.

SSE Composite stocks

Another way to invest in the SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite in order to get broad exposure to its performance.

The most heavily weighted stocks in the SSE Composite 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.

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.

Where can I invest in the SSE Composite index?

According to our expert research, eToro is the best ETF broker to invest in SSE Composite index funds. 

Both SSE Composite ETFs and SSE Composite CFDs are available to invest in through eToro .

Here are three more places to buy the SSE Composite, ranked according to their cost, security, and features.

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eToro

Min. Deposit $100

Fees 1%

No. assets 3600+

Demo account Yes

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eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

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IG Markets

Min. Deposit n/a

Fees Spread only

No. assets 17000+

Demo account Yes

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Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

How to invest in SSE Composite Index

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Should I invest in the SSE Composite index? 

Yes, SSE Composite investing is a great choice if you’re looking for a safer investment with more price stability compared to picking individual stocks. It’s also ideal if you don’t have the time to actively manage a portfolio of stocks, because you can simply invest in a bunch at the same time and then leave it alone.

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 SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite index:

• Invest in the largest companies in China. The SSE includes huge Chinese companies, so investing in the index gives you instant access to a diversified portfolio that includes all these major businesses.
• The SSE is the benchmark Chinese index that tracks the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The SSE is like the Chinese version of the Dow Jones or the NYSE Composite, an indicator of the overall health and performance of the Chinese economy.
• The SSE offers a way to invest in Chinese infrastructure projects. Many of the largest companies on the SSE index are involved in infrastructure projects like shipbuilding or railways. China spends huge amounts of money on these projects, both inside and outside Chinese territory.
• China has grown dramatically over the past few decades. Asian markets, and the Chinese market in particular, has been a great source of growth for investors in recent years. It’s a way to invest in markets outside of the US with the potential to keep growing over time.
• An index is easy for a beginner to invest in. You can invest in the SSE with just a little money, and it’s as simple as buying a share in an ETF. You don’t need to spend time researching lots of stocks, or need any stock-picking expertise in order to invest.

What are the disadvantages of investing in the SSE Composite index?

The main risk of investing in the SSE Composite 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 SSE Composite investing.

• The Chinese government’s actions can have a significant impact on the economy. Chinese policy can suddenly change without much warning and affect stocks in a negative way. The government occasionally targets individuals that have become too powerful, or it might simply switch policies without warning.
• Geopolitical tensions between China and the US add some risk to the investment. Geopolitical rivalries raise the potential risk of sanctions, or of trade wars between powerful nations. Combined with China’s reputation as an opaque country, it can be risky to invest in if you don’t fully understand how the economy works and the potential dangers involved.

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