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These terms are often used interchangeably in practice, but there is a technical distinction.

A strategy defines the rules for how capital is allocated across a set of underlying assets, specifically, the weights in each asset and how those weights evolve over time. For example, a simple strategy might specify: allocate 25% of capital to each of four stocks, and rebalance periodically to maintain those weights.

An index is the time series representation of applying that strategy to a notional starting capital. To construct it, you pick a base level (e.g. $10,000), allocate it according to the strategy, and then track how the value evolves as underlying prices move and as the strategy rebalances. By construction, the index starts at 10,000 on day one and fluctuates thereafter based on the performance of the underlying basket and the rebalancing rules.

So in practice:

  • The strategy is the methodology (the rules engine)
  • The index is the resulting performance path (the observable P&L series)

In QIS, instruments like GLRUSSC1 typically refer to both depending on context:

  • When discussing construction, it refers to the strategy specification
  • When discussing performance or pricing, it refers to the index level