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FTSE Group (FTSE), the award-winning index provider, announced today that the FTSE All-World ex US Index is to be used as the basis for the new Vanguard® FTSE All-World ex-US fund. The new fund offers both traditional investor shares and ETF shares, and is the first international fund offering from Vanguard to track a FTSE index.
The FTSE All-World ex US Index consists of companies located in developed and emerging markets around the world, excluding the United States. The index includes approximately 2,200 holdings in nearly 50 countries, including a 5% weighting for Canada. Canada is not a component of similar indexes that track developed and emerging markets, giving investment products that track the FTSE All-World ex-US Index broader exposure to foreign developed equity markets. Canada is considered one of the world’s wealthiest nations, and boasts a GDP that ranks amongst the top 20 in the world, in a tier alongside South Korea, Brazil, Mexico and Italy. The strong performance of the Canadian S&P/TSX Composite Index over the past few years, which includes the largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange, demonstrates how robust and important Canadian equity markets can be in a global portfolio.
Jerry Moskowitz, President and Managing Director, FTSE Americas commented: “We are pleased to have been selected by Vanguard as the basis for their newest international fund offering. The breadth of FTSE’s global indexes, particularly the FTSE All-World ex US, allows for product issuers such as Vanguard to offer comprehensive investment vehicles to help broaden exposure to key equity markets such as Canada.”
The Vanguard All World ex US ETF commences trading today (AMEX: VEU) and joins the FTSE-benchmarked Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF (AMEX: VYM) on the American Stock Exchange.
More information about FTSE’s suite of index products is available at www.ftse.com
