Key Highlights

  • The fund invests in the Vanguard International Shares Index Fund and uses forward foreign exchange contracts and futures.
  • It holds 1,375 companies, with the United States at 73.94%.
  • The management fee is 0.22% and the fund size is $8.00 billion.
  • The July 2026 distribution of $2.935 is lower than the $3.957 paid in July 2025.

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares (Hedged) ETF (ASX:VGAD) meets its objective by investing in the Vanguard International Shares Index Fund, forward foreign exchange contracts and futures traded on a licensed exchange. The fund was admitted to the ASX on 20 November 2014 and last traded at $132.84 on 13 October 2026. It reports a fund size of $8.00 billion.

Detail

Information

Ticker

ASX:VGAD

Fund

Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares (Hedged) ETF

Category

Equity World - Currency Hedged

Benchmark

MSCI World ex Australia NR Hdg AUD

Fund size

$8.00 billion

Management fee

0.22%

Total holdings

1,375

ASX admission date

20 November 2014

Hedging and asset allocation

The fund aims to protect against foreign currency movements by hedging back to Australian dollars. Cash represents 4.50% of the fund and stocks 95.38%, a larger cash balance than the unhedged Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX:VGS) holds at 0.74%.

An E-mini S&P 500 futures position, at 2.08%, appears among the top ten holdings.

Holdings and country mix

The ten largest positions represent 26.17% of the fund. NVIDIA leads at 5.22%, followed by Apple (4.79%), Microsoft (3.68%) and Amazon.com (2.58%), with the E-mini futures contract at 2.08%. Alphabet Class A (2.07%), Broadcom (1.72%), Alphabet Class C (1.58%), Meta Platforms (1.29%) and Micron Technology (1.11%) follow.

The United States accounts for 73.94%, Japan 5.76%, Canada 3.57%, the United Kingdom 3.38%, Switzerland 2.55% and Germany 2.16%. Technology holds 31.61% and Financial Services 15.82%.

Fees, risk and distributions

The management fee is 0.22% a year, above the 0.18% charged on the unhedged VGS. The fund reports a beta of 1.00 and a standard deviation of 11.88. The final distribution of $2.935 per unit had an ex-date of 1 July 2026 and payment on 16 July, equal to an annual yield of 2.77%.

The amount is higher than the $0.779 paid in January 2026 but lower than the $3.957 paid in July 2025 and the $4.745 paid in July 2024.

Category classification and liquidity

Morningstar places the fund in the Equity World - Currency Hedged category, which covers funds investing primarily in companies listed on global equity markets, with the funds predominantly hedged against foreign exchange risk as a neutral position and, in some cases, a bias towards a particular style or size.

Liquidity indicators add a further view. There are 59,878,878 units on issue, and average daily trading volume is 104,034 units. Over the five sessions from 7 to 13 October 2026, daily volume ranged from 44,900 to 61,500 units, with 55,860 recorded on 13 October while the market was still open. The bid-offer range stood at $132.84 to $133.30, and the day range at $132.71 to $133.37. These figures change through the trading day and reflect market activity rather than the fund's holdings.

Recent announcements

Vanguard lodged Outstanding Securities for September 2026 on 7 October, Final Distributions on 2 October, an Updated Estimated Distribution on 1 October, and an Estimated Distribution Announcement on 24 September. The Annual Report followed on 15 September.

Final Takeaway

VGAD matches the exposure of the unhedged global fund while using derivatives to manage currency movements, at a higher 0.22% fee and with a 4.50% cash balance. Its July distribution fell against each of the two preceding Julys. These details describe the fund's design and do not project outcomes.