A low-cost ETF for exposure to the top global companies

Article Excerpt

VANGUARD FTSE GLOBAL ALL CAP EX CANADA INDEX ETF $56.71 (Toronto symbol VXC; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $1.8 billion) tracks the FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada Index. Companies located in the U.S. make up the largest component (63.4%), followed by Japan (6.6%), the U.K. (3.8%), France (2.7%), China (2.5%), and India (2.1%). Information technology companies form a large part of the portfolio (25%), while Financials (14%), Healthcare (11%), Consumer Discretionary (14%), Industrials (14%), and Health Care (11%), are other key segments. The ETF invests in other Vanguard ETFs to form a global portfolio. Overall, the portfolio holds 11,484 stocks; the top 10 make up 18% of its assets. Top holdings include Microsoft (4.0%), Apple (3.7%), Nvidia (2.0%), Amazon (2.0%), and Alphabet (2.1%). Non-U.S. stocks include Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Novo Nordisk and ASML. The ETF started up in June 2014, and its MER is 0.22%. It has a large asset base and offers good liquidity with an average of $1.3 million in units…