Four Documents Before the First Buy: ETF Index Funds

The decision is whether you have the four documents open before the first purchase of an index fund or ETF. This page does not rank products and does not call a fund a paycheck.

Updated October 14, 2026.

Four documents

For a publicly offered fund in China, have these open:

• the prospectus,
• the product summary (fund product information summary),
• the fund contract,
• the latest periodic report.

The sales-institution measures say the seller should prompt you to read the fund contract, the prospectus, and the product summary, and should reveal the risk. See the sales-institution measures. The disclosure measures put the prospectus and the fund contract in the disclosed set. See the disclosure measures. The operation measures say the CSRC does not judge the fund's investment value and does not guarantee its prospects. See the operation measures.

If one of the four is missing, you do not buy. A chart is not a substitute.

What you do with each document is split across the other pages: fees and distribution source, reading order, hold rule, your own split, tracking line, and the cash that stays out. This page is the gate. It is not those decisions again.

FAQ

Is an ETF exempt because it trades all day?

No. An ETF that is a publicly offered fund still has a prospectus and a contract. Intraday trading does not delete the documents.

Can the platform's quiz replace the prospectus?

No. A quiz can be required. It is not the prospectus.

What if I am not buying a China public fund?

Use the four equivalent official documents in that market. Do not treat the CSRC links as if they governed a foreign product.

Last reviewed

October 14, 2026.