European ETFs offer long-term promise

Article Excerpt

European stocks continue to face near-term challenges as the war in Ukraine, record inflation and the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic weigh on their prospects. Still, the long-term outlook for top European companies is strong, and many of these leading companies derive a significant chunk of their revenue from global exports; their solid balance sheets and low p/e’s also cut investor risk. Here are two ETFs that aim to benefit from the opportunities presented by leading European-listed companies. In the supplement on page 119, we provide more information on the top companies held in these ETFs. VANGUARD EUROPEAN STOCK INDEX ETF $51.40 (New York symbol VGK; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $17.6 billion) aims to replicate the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index. The index includes companies of all sizes from 16 developed European markets. It weights them based on market capitalization. The ETF’s largest holding is in companies domiciled in the U.K., followed by Switzerland (17%), France (15%), Germany (12%), Netherlands (7%),…