{"id":11610,"date":"2026-05-19T06:58:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T06:58:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/?p=11610"},"modified":"2026-05-07T07:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T07:39:11","slug":"how-to-buy-sp-500-nasdaq-100-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/finance\/how-to-buy-sp-500-nasdaq-100-india\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Buy S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 ETFs from India in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"890\" height=\"399\" src=\"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"How to Buy S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 ETFs from India in 2026\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3.jpeg 890w, https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-300x134.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-768x344.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-150x67.jpeg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 890px) 100vw, 890px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 id='why-s-p-500-and-nasdaq-100-are-the-most-popular-us-investments-for-indians'  id=\"boomdevs_1\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 Are the Most Popular US Investments for Indians<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The S&amp;P 500 has delivered approximately 10% annualised returns over 30+ years in USD terms. The Nasdaq 100, technology-heavy, has outperformed with higher volatility. For Indian investors seeking US equity exposure, these two indices are the natural starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id='three-ways-to-invest-in-s-p-500-from-india'  id=\"boomdevs_2\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Three Ways to Invest in S&amp;P 500 from India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 id='route-1-direct-us-etfs-via-lrs'  id=\"boomdevs_3\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Route 1: Direct US ETFs via LRS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Buy SPY (SPDR S&amp;P 500 ETF), VOO (Vanguard S&amp;P 500 ETF), or IVV (iShares S&amp;P 500 ETF) directly on US exchanges through an international broker account. This requires using LRS quota and completing wire transfer to the broker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id='route-2-indian-mutual-funds-fofs'  id=\"boomdevs_4\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Route 2: Indian Mutual Funds (FOFs)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Several Indian AMCs offer Fund of Funds that invest in US index ETFs. Examples include Motilal Oswal S&amp;P 500 Index Fund, ICICI Prudential US Bluechip Equity Fund. No LRS required; invest in INR directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id='route-3-nse-bse-listed-etfs'  id=\"boomdevs_5\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Route 3: NSE\/BSE Listed ETFs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mirae Asset NYSE FANG+ ETF, Motilal Oswal Nasdaq 100 ETF, and similar products trade on Indian exchanges. Buy via your existing demat account with no LRS documentation needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>Factor<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Direct US ETFs<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Indian FOF<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Indian Listed ETF<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Currency<\/td><td>USD (via wire)<\/td><td>INR<\/td><td>INR<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>LRS Required<\/td><td>Yes<\/td><td>No<\/td><td>No<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Expense Ratio<\/td><td>0.03%\u20130.20%<\/td><td>0.8%\u20131.5%<\/td><td>0.5%\u20130.8%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>LTCG Tax Rate<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>12.5% (36m)<\/td><td>12.5% (12m)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Minimum Investment<\/td><td>$1 (fractional)<\/td><td>\u20b9500 SIP<\/td><td>1 unit (~\u20b950-\u20b9500)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Dividend Tax<\/td><td>25% US WHT + India<\/td><td>Fund level<\/td><td>Fund level<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id='direct-us-etfs-step-by-step-for-indian-investors'  id=\"boomdevs_6\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Direct US ETFs: Step-by-Step for Indian Investors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open account with broker offering US market access (international broker or GIFT City route)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Complete LRS formalities with your AD bank<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wire USD to broker account<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Search for SPY, VOO, QQQ, or QQQM on platform<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Place market or limit order during US market hours (9:30 PM \u2013 4:00 AM IST)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Settlement: T+1 for US equities as of 2024<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 id='indian-mutual-fund-route-key-funds-in-2026'  id=\"boomdevs_7\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Indian Mutual Fund Route: Key Funds in 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>Fund Name<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Index Tracked<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Expense Ratio (approx)<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Min SIP<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Motilal Oswal S&amp;P 500 Index Fund<\/td><td>S&amp;P 500<\/td><td>0.57%<\/td><td>\u20b9500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>ICICI Pru US Bluechip Equity<\/td><td>S&amp;P 500 (active)<\/td><td>1.15%<\/td><td>\u20b91,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Motilal Oswal Nasdaq 100 FOF<\/td><td>Nasdaq 100<\/td><td>0.57%<\/td><td>\u20b9500<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Franklin India Feeder US Opp.<\/td><td>US opportunities<\/td><td>1.30%<\/td><td>\u20b9500<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id='tax-comparison-direct-vs-fof'  id=\"boomdevs_8\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Tax Comparison: Direct vs FOF<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For Indian investors, the FOF route now has a significant tax disadvantage versus direct ETFs for long-term holdings. Since 2023, Indian debt funds and FOFs investing abroad are taxed at slab rates for all holding periods. However, some India-listed international ETFs qualify for 12.5% LTCG after 12 months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th><strong>Holding Period<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Direct US ETF (LRS)<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Indian FOF<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>India-listed Intl ETF<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>&lt; 12 months<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>20% STCG<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>12\u201336 months<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>12.5% LTCG<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>&gt; 36 months<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>Slab rate<\/td><td>12.5% LTCG<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id='which-route-is-best-for-you'  id=\"boomdevs_9\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Which Route Is Best for You?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Small amounts (&lt; \u20b910,000\/month SIP): Indian listed ETF or FOF: simpler, no forex hassle<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Larger amounts (&gt; $5,000): Direct US ETFs for lower expense ratio<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maximising tax efficiency: Indian listed ETFs tracking US indices<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>GIFT City route: For high-net-worth individuals wanting no LRS consumption<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 Are the Most Popular US Investments for Indians The S&amp;P 500 has delivered approximately 10% annualised returns over 30+ years in USD terms. The Nasdaq 100, technology-heavy, has outperformed with higher volatility. For Indian investors seeking US equity exposure, these two indices are the natural starting point. Three Ways [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":11611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_ayudawp_aiss_exclude":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"blocksy_meta":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3.jpeg",890,399,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-300x134.jpeg",300,134,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-768x344.jpeg",768,344,true],"large":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3.jpeg",890,399,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3.jpeg",890,399,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3.jpeg",890,399,false],"web-stories-poster-portrait":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-640x399.jpeg",640,399,true],"web-stories-publisher-logo":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-96x96.jpeg",96,96,true],"web-stories-thumbnail":["https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f6a16909-0a1b-4303-81b1-489e8532efe3-150x67.jpeg",150,67,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"yudh","author_link":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/author\/yudh\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Why S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq 100 Are the Most Popular US Investments for Indians The S&amp;P 500 has delivered approximately 10% annualised returns over 30+ years in USD terms. The Nasdaq 100, technology-heavy, has outperformed with higher volatility. For Indian investors seeking US equity exposure, these two indices are the natural starting point. Three Ways&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11610"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11616,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11610\/revisions\/11616"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lemonn.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}