What we’ve learned from small investors taking over the share market

<p><strong>Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s how index investing changed the game, and what’s next. Hosted by Frances Cook.</strong></p> <p>Now don’t tell me you forgot it was our anniversary. It’s a big one too: 30 years, the pearl anniversary.</p> <p>What’s it the anniversary of? Well, I’m glad you asked.</p> <p>January 29 marked 30 years of the world’s longest-surviving exchange-traded fund, Standard &amp; Poor’s Depository Receipt, mostly known by the acronym SPDR, or as the “spider”.</p> <p>It’s now one of the world’s largest funds.</p> <p>A little closer to home, March 3 this year marked 20 years since the Standard &amp; Poors NZX50 was launched.</p> <p>That’s the china anniversary, for those paying attention.</p> <p>Jokes aside, index investing has been huge for letting the little guy into the market, allowing them to invest in a wide range of companies with less effort. The rewards, without as much risk.</p> <p>But some things have changed over the past few decades.</p> <p>For the latest podcast, I talked to Tim Edwards, S&amp;P’s global head of index investment strategy.</p> <p>If you have a question about this podcast, or a question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookNZ/">Facebook here</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/">Instagram here</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/FrancesCook">Twitter here</a>.</p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>