Vanguard has announced three new locally domiciled exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to its existing suite of four ETFs, and also slashed the fees on its two existing local ETFs.
The new products include a high yield ETF based on the FTSE ASFA Australian high dividend yield index which contains a basket of around 60 stocks, with a management expense ratio (MER) of 25 basis points.
The firm also announced a large cap ETF based on the MSCI Australian large cap index which covers the top 70 per cent market capitalisation of the Australian share market with a fee of 0.20 per cent; as well as a small cap ETF based on the MSCI Australian small cap index covering the bottom 15 per cent of the market with a fee of 0.30 per cent.
Vanguard also announced it would be reducing the MER on its Australian shares ETF from 0.27 per cent to 0.15 per cent, and on its property securities ETF from 0.34 per cent to 0.25 per cent.
Vanguard’s other two ETF products are a US total market shares ETF based on the MSCI US broad market index, which includes around 3,300 stocks; and an all-world ex-US shares index that tracks the FTSE all-world ex-US index, covering 46 countries and including emerging markets.
On the firm’s measured approach to releasing new ETF products, Vanguard’s principal, corporate affairs and development Robin Bowerman said he didn’t think it was necessarily a fantastic idea to be rapidly releasing large numbers of new ETF products. But he also said the firm would continue to look at new products, including potentially fixed income ETFs, with a view to adding some more products down the track.
The new and existing products are targeted at both institutional and retail investors, but so far the majority of the firm’s ETF growth in Australia has been through both advised and non-advised self-managed super funds, and direct high net worth investors, Bowerman said.
The research house has offered a silver lining after super fund returns saw the end of a five-month streak last month.
A survey of almost 6,000 fund members has identified weakening retirement confidence, particularly among those under 55 years of age, signalling an opportunity for super funds to better engage with members on their retirement journey.
The funds have confirmed the signing of a successor fund transfer deed, moving closer to creating a new $29 billion entity.
A number of measures, including super on Paid Parental Leave, funding to recover unpaid super, and frameworks to encourage investment in the energy transition, have been welcomed by the superannuation industry.
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