Vanguard VXC ETF Review 2026: Invest Internationally

Looking to invest internationally without having to pick your own stocks?

This Vanguard ETF might be the right choice for you to get easy access to worldwide investments.

Let's go over this Vanguard VXC ETF review to see if it's the right choice for you.

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Pros

• Low-cost to invest
• Globally diversified portfolio of stocks

Cons

• MER might be a bit too high

What Is Vanguard VXC ETF?

Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada Index ETF (VXC) is a passively managed ETF that tracks the performance of a broad global equity index that focuses on developed and emerging markets worldwide, outside of Canada.

The fund tracks the performance of the FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada China A Inclusion Index.

The underlying index invests primarily directly or indirectly in small-, mid-, and large-capitalization companies throughout developed and emerging market countries besides Canada.

Vanguard VXC ETF is a low-cost fund that was listed on the TSX on July 7, 2014.

VXC is currently trading close to a price of $85.32.

VXC Key Facts

As of June 24, 2022:

• Ticker Symbol: VXC.TO
• Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange
• Assets Under Management: $1.217 Billion
• MER: 0.21%
• 12-Month Trailing Yield: 1.99%
• Currency Traded: CAD
• Eligible Accounts: Most registered (TFSA, RRSP, etc) and non-registered available

Vanguard VXC ETF MER And Fees

The fund comes with a management fee of just 0.20%. It has a Management Expense Ratio (MER) of, 0.21% which accounts for any additional expenses you can expect to bear for owning the fund.

Vanguard VXC ETF Dividend Yield

As of June 30, 2022, Vanguard VXC ETF’s dividend yield is as follows:

• 12-month trailing yield: 1.99%
• Distribution yield: 2.70%
• Dividend schedule: Quarterly

It means that atop the returns through capital gains on the underlying holdings, investing in VXC ETF also provides you with quarterly dividend payouts.

Vanguard VXC ETF Performance And Returns

The chart below shows the growth of a hypothetical $10,000 invested in VXC ETF since inception:

Showing 30 June 2014 - 30 Jun 2022:

Go to the Vanguard website for real-time performance numbers of VXC.

What Does Vanguard VXC ETF Invest In?

This section of my Vanguard VXC ETF review will cover what the fund invests in. VXC ETF attempts to track the FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada China A Inclusion Index to the best of its ability and before fees and expenses.

The underlying index focuses on tracking the performance of a group of publicly-traded companies listed in emerging and developed market countries worldwide, excluding Canada and including China.

Vanguard VXC ETF offers you exposure to a heavily diversified portfolio of securities in the form of a single investment product.

VXC ETF is a 100% equity-focused fund. Without exposure to any fixed-income securities, the fund entails a higher degree of capital risk that it tries to mitigate by diversifying its exposure across various emerging and developed markets worldwide.

Vanguard VXC ETF Portfolio Characteristics

As of June 30, 2022:

Vanguard VXC ETF Market Allocation

This section of my Vanguard VXC ETF review would typically discuss the asset allocation split that the fund offers you between equity securities and fixed-income assets, like bonds and GICs.

However, Vanguard VXC ETF invests its assets entirely in the stock of publicly-listed companies throughout global emerging and developed markets countries.

The asset allocation I will discuss for the fund will be on the geographical weightings of its holdings.

As of June 30, 2022, Vanguard VXC ETF focuses almost two-thirds of its assets to US-listed companies. It allocates 61.3% of its AUM to the stock of companies in the US. Its second-largest geographical asset allocation is towards Japan-based companies.

The fund allocates 6.3% of its AUM to equity securities listed in Japan. UK-listed securities account for the third-largest portion of its asset allocation, with 4.2% of its AUM invested in publicly-traded companies in the UK.

The fund also invests in emerging markets countries like China and India, allocating 4.2% and 1.8% of its AUM to equity securities in these two countries.

As of 30 Jun 2022:

Vanguard VXC ETF Market Capitalization

As of June 30, 2022:

Vanguard VXC ETF Top Holdings

This section of my Vanguard VXC ETF review will cover the top holdings for the fund.

Vanguard VXC ETF invests a significant portion of its assets in US-listed securities, and its top ten holdings consist of US stocks. The most notable thing about its asset allocation is its focus on the top tech stocks.

Its most significant holding is Apple Inc., accounting for 3.43% of its asset allocation. Microsoft Corp. comes in second, accounting for 3.13% of its asset allocation. Amazon.com Inc. is its third-largest holding, accounting for 1.50% of its asset allocation.

Vanguard VXC ETF Sector Weighting

The fund allocates 21% of its assets to the tech sector, 13.9% to the consumer discretionary sector, and 13.7% to financial sector stocks worldwide outside of Canada.

As of 30 Jun 2022:

Vanguard VXC ETF Region Exposure

As of June 30, 2022:

VXC Risk And Volatility

As of June 30, 2022:

Vanguard VXC ETF Alternatives

This section of my Vanguard VXC ETF review will discuss a few alternatives you can compare the fund with.

Considering the top holdings for the fund and the index that VXC ETF tracks, the first name that warrants the most obvious comparison would be iShares XAW ETF, but there are two others you could consider.

Which Is Better - XAW Or VXC?

iShares XAW ETF is the most easily comparable fund to Vanguard VXC ETF. iShares XAW ETF tracks the MSCI ACWI ex Canada IMI Index, net of expenses. Despite tracking a different index, most of its holdings are similar to those of VXC ETF.

iShares XAW is a fund of funds that holds several iShares ETFs, offering significant diversification.

It boasts a slightly higher MER of 0.22% but offers a bigger payout than VXC ETF through a 2.29% 12-month trailing dividend yield (As of July 19, 2022). iShares XAW could be considered a viable alternative to VXC ETF.

Vanguard VXC ETF Vs. Vanguard VCN ETF

Vanguard VCN ETF is a fund that tracks the FTSE Canada All-Cap Domestic Index. The fund invests directly or indirectly in small-, mid-, and large-cap stocks of publicly-listed companies in Canada.

VCN ETF is effectively the opposite of VXC ETF, offering you low-cost exposure to the Canadian stock market. You could consider investing in this fund if you want exposure to the domestic stock market in the form of a single investment product.

Vanguard VXC ETF Vs. Vanguard VEE ETF

Vanguard VEE ETF is a fund designed to provide you with investment returns by tracking the performance of a broad emerging market index.

It tracks the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, using its assets to directly or indirectly invest in small-, mid-, and large-capitalization stocks of companies in emerging markets countries.

It does not invest in Canadian stocks or any developed market countries, making it more of a pure-play on high-growth emerging market stocks.

How To Buy Vanguard VXC ETF In Canada

Conclusion - Is VXC A Good Investment?

It pays to diversify your investment portfolio outside Canada to offset potential losses to your investment returns if there is a significant downturn in the domestic market.

Vanguard VXC ETF offers you the opportunity to substantially diversify your portfolio with exposure to various international markets in emerging and developed countries.

You could consider VXC ETF a good long-term investment for your self-directed portfolio for hands-off and convenient exposure to international equity securities outside Canada.

Check out my detailed iShares XAW ETF review if you are interested in considering an arguably better alternative to Vanguard VXC ETF.