ETFs

Canadian-listed funds grouped by strategy. Each category below explains what these funds do and why they belong in an alpha stacking portfolio.

Return Stacked

Funds that hold an equity sleeve and an alternative sleeve (managed futures, macro, commodities) simultaneously on the same capital, using futures or swaps. You keep the full equity position and add a diversifying return source on top.

Premia and systematic alternatives

Rules-based funds that harvest persistent return factors — value, carry, momentum, quality — across many markets simultaneously.

Factor

Equity ETFs that tilt toward specific stock characteristics — momentum, value, quality, small-cap — that have historically outperformed the broad market over long periods.

Long/short

Funds that hold long positions in stocks they expect to outperform and short positions in stocks they expect to underperform.

Global macro

Funds that take positions across currencies, interest rates, equities, and commodities based on macroeconomic themes and environment analysis.

Arbitrage

Merger arbitrage funds buy companies that have announced acquisition deals and short the acquirer, capturing the spread between the current stock price and the deal price. Returns are driven by deal completion rates and timelines, with low correlation to broad equity moves.

Leveraged equity ETFs

Daily-resetting funds that deliver 2× or 3× the daily return of a broad equity index. They amplify both gains and losses, and volatility drag means long-term returns don't simply scale with the multiple.

Fixed income

ETFs that invest in bonds, structured credit, and floating-rate instruments. Includes AAA CLO funds, investment-grade credit, and bond strategies used as collateral or yield sleeves in portfolio construction.

Crypto & digital assets

ETFs providing exposure to bitcoin, ethereum, or a basket of digital assets.