Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF

Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF (VPL) is an index fund that tracks the FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index. It holds about 2,340 stocks, mostly from Japan, South Korea and Australia. Its expense ratio, the yearly cost as a share of your investment, is 0.07%, below the 0.19% average for similar funds. Two Korean chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, made up nearly 12% of the fund as of July 31, 2026.

• Over the year to Oct 30, 2026, VPL returned +22.2%, 1st of 8 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +9.4%.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-15.2%); its best was 2025 (+32.6%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 31.1% (Sep 15, 2021 to Oct 14, 2022), recovered by Sep 24, 2024.

As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 2,340 securities; the ten largest made up 23.79% of assets.

• Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors withdrew a net $292.8M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +8.47%, -0.30%, -5.25%.

VPL is the exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Pacific Stock Index Fund. It tracks the FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index, which includes large, mid-size and small companies in the region's developed markets. The index is weighted by market capitalization, the total market value of a company's shares, so the biggest companies get the biggest slices. As of July 31, 2026, Japan made up about 55% of the fund, South Korea 21%, Australia 15%, Hong Kong 4%, Singapore 4% and New Zealand less than 1%.

Vanguard uses replication. This means the fund generally holds the same stocks as the index, in roughly the same proportions. It must keep at least 80% of net assets in the index's stocks. As of July 31, 2026, it had 2,340 holdings, and the 10 largest made up about 24% of assets. The biggest were Samsung Electronics (6.6%), SK hynix (5.2%), Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (2.0%) and BHP Group (1.8%). Portfolio turnover was 7%, which means little trading.

The fund doesn't use leverage or options. Its stocks are priced in yen, won, Australian dollars and other local currencies, so exchange-rate moves can raise or lower returns for US investors. It also held small positions in Japanese and Australian stock index futures and in currency forwards, which together made up a tiny share of assets. The ETF shares trade on NYSE Arca at market prices, which can differ slightly from the value of the fund's holdings.

• VPL charges 0.07% a year, versus an average of 0.19% for the similar funds below (4th of 8, cheapest first).
• Of that, 0.05% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $7 in the first year and $90 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It adds stocks from Japan, South Korea and Australia that a US-focused portfolio usually lacks, at low cost.

VPL could add Asia-Pacific stocks to a mostly US portfolio. In the SEC's standard example, it costs $7 in the first year on $10,000. It can swing sharply, though. Its price data starts in June 2020, after the 2008 crisis and the COVID crash. However, the prospectus shows a 20.86% loss in the first quarter of 2020. In the 2022 bear market, it fell 26.6% and took 17 months to recover. Its deepest drop, 31.1% from September 2021 to October 2022, took about 23 months to recover. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at −15.21%. Selling shares during a stretch like that would lock in losses. The trailing yield was 2.18% as of October 29, 2026, paid once a year. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.