Do mutual funds have ticker symbols?

Zoomer | January 1st, 2006

Question: Do mutual funds have ticker symbols like stocks? I’m using a finance software package that allows updates of mutual fund prices if I input the ticker symbol. I can’t seem to find the symbols for Canadian mutual funds.

Answer:

No, they do not have ticker symbols but each fund has its own code, which is used to identify them for purposes of sales, tracking, etc. Also, every version of a fund has its own separate code. So, for example, a fund that offers Canadian dollar, U.S. dollar, segregated and clone versions will be treated as four separate funds, each with its own code.

That’s why you often see discrepancies in the numbers of Canadian mutual funds that are mentioned in the media. It depends on how you count. Is the example we just referred to really four separate funds, or just one fund in different forms? I believe the latter is actually the case, but if you’re updating the fund in your software program you must have the correct code for the version you actually own. The fund company can supply that to you, or it may appear on your brokerage statement.