More Vanguard ETF Fee Cuts, Including VWO

Vanguard keeps bolstering its reputation as one of the low-cost leaders among ETF issuers. Just days after the Pennsylvania-based firm announced lower fees for the popular Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF VYM, the company unveiled lower expense ratios on eight other ETFs. Included in the new batch of fee reductions is the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF VWO, which has over $60 billion in assets under management making it the largest emerging markets ETF by that metric. VWO will now charge 0.18 percent from year, down from 0.2 percent. At 0.18 percent, VWO now has the same expense ratio as the iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF IEMG, the ETF rolled about by BlackRock's iShares unit in October as lower cost alternative to VWO and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund EEM. Other Vanguard ETFs that now have lower fees include the Vanguard MSCI Pacific ETF VPL and the Vanguard MSCI Europe ETF VGK now have expense ratios of 0.12 percent down from 0.14 percent. The Vanguard Total International Stock Index ETF VXUS is home to a 0.16 percent annual expense ratio compared with 0.18 percent previously while the Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF VT is now charging 0.19 percent compared with 0.22 percent prior to the announcement. Investors will now pay 0.32 percent per year to own the Vanguard Global ex-US Real Estate ETF VNQI, down from 0.35 percent. The Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF VEU also saw a three-basis point fee reduction to 0.15 percent from 0.18 percent. The Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap Index ETF VSS has a new expense ratio of 0.25 percent down from 0.28 percent. Over the past year, Vanguard has lowered fees on 45 of its ETFs, including its 10 sector funds. For more on ETFs, click here.