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ETF spotlight: Gold diversification without sacrificing equity growth

ETF spotlight: Gold diversification without sacrificing equity growth

Diversification remains essential to building resilient portfolios. Yet, with equity markets increasingly concentrated and economic uncertainty persisting, investors may need to look beyond traditional asset classes for additional sources of diversification.

Gold offers a compelling opportunity. Historically, its relatively low correlation with equities and bonds has made it a valuable portfolio diversifier, particularly during periods of geopolitical uncertainty, inflation concerns and financial market stress.

However, adding gold to a portfolio presents a challenge: How can investors benefit from gold's diversification potential without sacrificing the equity exposure needed for long-term growth?

Why consider gold in a diversified portfolio?

Gold's value extends beyond its reputation as a safe-haven asset. Its performance is influenced by different factors than traditional investments, making it a potentially valuable complement to equities and bonds.

Diversification: Historically low correlations with traditional asset classes can help reduce reliance on equity and bond market returns.

Resilience: Gold has often performed well during periods of geopolitical uncertainty and financial market stress, although protection is not guaranteed.

Currency debasement: Gold carries no credit risk and cannot be created at will by governments, giving it distinct characteristics as a store of value.

Source: Bloomberg. As of September 30, 2026.

MGEG: A capital-efficient approach to gold diversification

The Mackenzie Global Equity & Gold Overlay ETF (MGEG) seeks to address this trade-off by combining actively managed global equities with a strategic gold futures overlay.

Rather than reducing equity holdings to fund gold exposure, MGEG uses a capital-efficient structure to provide:

100% global equity exposure: Through Mackenzie GQE Global Equity ETF (MGQE), maintaining participation in long-term equity growth.

50% strategic gold exposure: Through a gold futures overlay, introducing an additional source of diversification.

Capital-efficient implementation: Combining both exposures within a single ETF without proportionately reducing the underlying equity allocation.

For every $100 invested, MGEG provides approximately $100 in global equity exposure and $50 in notional gold exposure.

This approach allows investors to maintain their equity allocation while gaining additional exposure to gold, although the increased gross exposure introduces additional market, leverage and derivatives-related risks.

ETF news & notes

CSA moves to eliminate chargebacks in investment fund distribution

On October 8, 2026, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) finalized amendments prohibiting compensation arrangements that require advisors to repay upfront commissions when clients redeem mutual funds and ETFs early.

The amendments, effective October 2028, aim to reduce conflicts of interest and strengthen investor protection. While the direct impact on ETFs is expected to be limited, the decision reinforces the industry's broader shift toward transparent, client-focused distribution practices.

ETF flows update

  • Canadian ETFs attracted $17.9 billion in October, boosting 2026 YTD inflows to $173 billion. That is already above the previous full-year record, and monthly inflows have exceeded $13 billion for 12 consecutive months.

  • Canadian ETF assets under management reached $941 billion on a net basis and $1,082 billion on gross basis.

Asset class

AUM ($M)

Oct. Flows ($M)

YTD Flows ($M)

Equity

 

$630,109

$11,372

$112,700

 

Canada

$201,156

$2,385

$31,858

 

United States

$209,097

$3,695

$27,562

 

International/Global

$219,855

$5,291

$53,280

Fixed income

$214,288

$4,325

$36,896

Multi-Asset

$62,480

$1,103

$14,571

Inverse / Levered

$19,756

$862

$7,175

Commodity

$8,090

$256

$1,342

Crypto

$6,664

-$27

$263

Total

 

$941,386

$17,892

$172,946

Source: Bloomberg and NBF as of October 31, 2026.

Mackenzie ETF top performers

Equity ETFs

Fixed Income ETFs

Source: Mackenzie Investments, data as of October 31, 2026.

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