Topic: How To Invest

Q: Hope you are enjoying the summer weather—it will be winter before we know it! What do you think about the Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap Ex North America Index ETF (symbol VIU on Toronto)? Thanks.

Article Excerpt

A: Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index ETF, $34.74, symbol VIU on Toronto (Units outstanding: 128.8 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; vanguard.ca), tracks the FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index. This index includes stocks of all sizes listed in developed markets excluding the U.S. and Canada. Main country exposures are Japan (23.5% of assets), U.K. (14.5%), France (9.9%), Switzerland (8.2%), Germany (7.5%), Australia (7.3%), South Korea (4.8%), Netherlands (4.3%), Sweden (3.4%), and Denmark (3.2%). Industry allocations are Industrials (19.0%), Financials (18.6%), Consumer Discretionary (14.2%), Healthcare (11.7%), Technology (8.8%), Consumer Staples (7.3%), Mining (6.3%), Energy (4.2%), Telecommunications (3.9%), Real Estate (3.1%), and Utilities (3.0%). The fund holds 3,804 companies. They include Novo Nordisk (Switzerland; pharmaceutical, 1.9%), ASML Holding NV (Netherlands, technology, 1.8%), Nestle (Switzerland, consumer defensive, 1.3%), Toyota Motor Co. (Japan, automobiles, 1.2%) Samsung Electronics (South Korea; technology, 1.2%), Shell plc (U.K.; Oil & gas, 1.1%), AstraZeneca (U.K.; pharmaceutical, 1.1%), and Novartis (Switzerland; healthcare, 1.0%). The ETF started up in…