Set benchmarks for a portfolio

Benchmarks are market indices or funds — like the S&P 500 or ASX 200 — that you compare your returns against. You can set up to 3 per portfolio. By the end of this, your portfolio will have the right benchmarks ready to show on the comparison page.

Tip

Every new portfolio starts with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) benchmark — a total-return proxy that includes dividends. Keep it, remove it, or swap it for one that better matches what you hold.

Where to set benchmarks

You manage benchmarks with the benchmark selector, which appears in two places:

• On the create-portfolio form — see Create and manage portfolios.
• On the Benchmarks tab of Change your portfolio settings.

Add a benchmark

1. Open Portfolio Settings and select the Benchmarks tab (or use the selector on the create-portfolio form).
2. Click Add benchmark….
3. In the search box, either pick a curated benchmark (SPY, IOZ for the ASX 200, SFY for the ASX 50, QQQ, VGS, DIA, or BTC) or search for any listed security by ticker or name and select it (press Enter to pick the top match).
4. Repeat for up to 3 benchmarks.
5. Click Save.

Remove a benchmark

1. In the selector, find the benchmark to remove.
2. Click the × on its row.
3. Click Save.

The Add benchmark… button is hidden once you have 3 — remove one before adding another.

Choosing the right benchmark

Pick a benchmark that matches what you hold. Mostly Australian shares? The ASX 200 is the most relevant. A mix of global stocks? A broad US or global index fits better.

Metrifly’s curated quick-picks are total-return ETFs (dividends included), so the comparison is like-for-like with your own total return:

Market	Benchmark	Ticker
US large-cap	SPDR S&P 500 ETF	SPY
Australian shares	iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF	IOZ
Australian top 50	SPDR S&P/ASX 50 Fund	SFY
US tech (Nasdaq-100)	Invesco QQQ	QQQ
Global shares	Vanguard MSCI International ETF	VGS
US blue-chip (Dow)	SPDR Dow Jones ETF	DIA
Crypto	Bitcoin	BTC

Not on the list? Search for any listed security and add it.

See the comparison

Once a portfolio has at least one benchmark, open Performance → Benchmark to see your portfolio plotted against it. It works at the group level too. For the full walkthrough, see Compare your portfolio to a benchmark.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
The Add benchmark… button is missing	You already have 3 — remove one to add another.
Your benchmark doesn’t appear	Type its ticker or name and pick it from the search results (or press Enter for the top match). Check it isn’t already in the list.
Your changes didn’t stick	The selector only saves when you click Save on the Benchmarks tab.
The comparison page looks empty	Benchmark price data may still be loading — wait a few minutes and refresh.

Related articles

• Compare your portfolio to a benchmark
• Change your portfolio settings
• Create and manage portfolios