Vanguard introduced 19 funds with ETF shares on Thursday, June 24, designed to provide investors with additional low-cost stock and bond choices. The firm said in a statement that it will also roll out ETF shares of its flagship Vanguard 500 Index Fund.
The statement, citing March 31 Morningstar data, said the new ETFs will feature expense ratios substantially below those of competing products.
Vanguard said that over the next year, the new funds, along with 20 new ETFs, will broaden its equity lineup with core products that track benchmarks from the wider range of providers, add indexed municipal funds to Vanguard's fixed income stable, and present investors with the option of an international real estate fund and ETF.
"We recognize that institutional investors and financial advisors may have a preference for certain benchmarks, and our goal is to offer them best-in-class funds and ETFs based on a choice of leading index providers, including FTSE, MSCI, Russell and S&P," Vanguard's chief executive Bill McNabb said in the statement. "We are taking this logical next step to provide multiple options within the domestic stock markets and more choice for bond investors."
Vanguard said that on the equity side, it is adding a suite of seven funds with ETF shares to offer exposure to value, growth and blend segments of the U.S. stock market based on the large cap Russell 1000 index and small cap Russell 2000 index series. As well, a broad market fund and ETF seeking to track the Russell 3000 Index will be offered.
