Products June 26, 2008

Vanguard Announces First Index Global Fund

June 26, 2008 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Vanguard Group has launched a fund that seeks to track the investment performance of the FTSE All-World Index, a benchmark of approximately 2,900 stocks in 47 countries.
Reported by

A Vanguard release about the new Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund said its Institutional share classes assess a 0.25% purchase fee to help defray the transaction costs associated with buying foreign securities and a 2% redemption fee on shares sold within two months of purchase.

The fund’s share classes include:

  • ETF Shares (VT) featuring an estimated expense ratio of 0.25%, and
  • Institutional Shares (VTWIX) have the lowest estimated expense ratio of the share classes at 0.20%. A $5 million minimum initial investment is required.

The FTSE All-World Index is a market-capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of large- and mid-capitalization stocks worldwide. Stocks of companies domiciled in developed and emerging international markets represent approximately 59% of the index; the remaining 41% are U.S. stocks, according to the announcement.  

“Vanguard Total World Stock Index Fund is our first passively managed global fund and provides exposure to the world’s stock markets through a single, low-cost vehicle,” said Vanguard Chief Investment Officer Gus Sauter, in the news release. “We view the new offering as an ideal ‘foundation fund’ for a well-diversified investment portfolio.”

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