Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF

Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF (ASEA) is an index fund tracking the FTSE/ASEAN 40 Index, the 40 largest and most liquid companies in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. It shares little with broader Asia funds, but it leans heavily on Singapore banks: DBS alone was 19.1% of assets as of July 31, 2026. Its 0.65% expense ratio, the yearly fee, is above the 0.46% average of similar funds.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, ASEA returned +17.5%, 1st of 4 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +9.8% and its 10-year +7.4%.
• In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 36.3% and regained its old high 8.8 months after the low.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2015 (-20.4%); its best was 2017 (+35.1%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 44.2% (Jan 26, 2018 to Mar 23, 2020), recovered by Jul 31, 2023.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 41 securities; the ten largest made up 60.5% of assets.

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $1.8M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +7.77%, +0.22%, +2.57%.

The fund tracks the FTSE/ASEAN 40 Index, built by FTSE International Limited, which is independent of the adviser, Global X Management Company. To qualify, a company must belong to FTSE's All World Country Index for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia or the Philippines. The index then takes the 40 largest and most liquid (easiest to trade) of those companies. FTSE decides each stock's weight.

Global X generally uses replication, buying the index stocks in roughly the same proportions. It may hold a representative sample instead when a stock is hard or costly to buy. It does not try to beat the index or move to cash in downturns. Portfolio turnover (the share of holdings replaced over a year) was a low 9.31%. Thai stocks such as Delta Electronics and PTT are held as non-voting depositary receipts, which pass through price changes and dividends but not voting rights.

When the index concentrates in an industry, so does the fund. As of December 31, 2025, that industry was banking, meaning at least 25% of assets. The fund is non-diversified, so a few stocks can carry big weights: the top 10 were 60.5% of assets as of July 31, 2026. It may also lend out securities worth up to one-third of total assets to earn extra income.

• ASEA charges 0.65% a year, versus an average of 0.46% for the similar funds below (3rd of 4, cheapest first).
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $66 in the first year and $810 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It covers a single region of five markets, with more than half its assets in Singapore and a heavy concentration in banks, so it suits a small side position better than a core one.

ASEA launched in February 2011, so it has no record from the 2008 financial crisis. In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 36.3% and took about 8.8 months to recover. In 2022 it dropped 17.3% from peak to trough and recovered in 6.5 months. Its worst calendar year was 2015, a loss of 20.4%. Its deepest decline, 44.2% from January 2018 to March 2020, took 40.2 months to recover, until July 2023. Someone who had to sell shares during a slump like that would have locked in losses.

The trailing yield was 3.89% as of October 27, 2026. The fund pays only twice a year, so income arrives unevenly. Costs are 0.65% a year, which comes to $810 over 10 years in the SEC's standard $10,000 example. Past results don't predict future returns, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by closest holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports (no similar fund shares 20% or more of its holdings).