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It has never been easier for Australian investors to broaden their investment horizons and diversify their portfolios by investing in international ETFs.
BetaShares offers a wide selection of international ETFs and Funds that provide access to a range of asset classes, regions, and sectors – or even the whole world. BetaShares international funds make it simple to allocate part of your portfolio to international stocks.
What are international ETFs?
An ETF is an investment fund, similar to a traditional managed fund, but bought and sold on a stock exchange just like any share. ETFs aim to closely track the performance of an index or asset class, and provide the returns of that index or asset class – less any fees. International ETFs enable you to invest in overseas markets and sectors by tracking a particular index. For example, an international ETF could track:
- A country-specific index e.g. FTSE 100 ETF, which aims to track the price and income performance (before fees and expenses) of the largest 100 companies traded on the London Stock Exchange, based on their market capitalisation
- A regional index e.g. Europe ETF – Currency Hedged, which aims to track the performance of globally competitive eurozone companies
- A global index e.g. Global Quality Leaders ETF, which aims to track the performance of the 150 global companies ranked by highest quality score
- A global sector index e.g. Nasdaq 100 ETF, which aims to track the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Index. Another example is the Global Cybersecurity ETF, which aims to track the performance of the leading companies in the global cybersecurity sector
How to buy international ETFs
An international ETF can be bought and sold on the ASX in Australian dollars during ASX trading hours, just like any other share.
Read here for key trading considerations including the best hours to trade international ETFs and understanding the net asset value (NAV).
Are international ETFs a good investment?
The Australian sharemarket is heavily concentrated, with significant weightings in particular to the financial and resources sectors. As a result, many Australian investors hold portfolios that are not well-diversified.
There are a number of other sectors that have strong growth potential on a global scale, but which are under-represented on the ASX and so traditionally have been difficult for Australian investors to access directly. Sectors such as healthcare, technology and cybersecurity offer significant growth potential as the global population and life expectancy rises and as our lives increasingly turn online. However, few Australian companies operate in these sectors.
For Australian investors looking to gain exposure to these sectors, ETFs available on the ASX include the BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF and the BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF.
International ETF Pros
- Diversification – International ETFs enable you to buy a basket of assets or shares in a single trade
- Easy to trade – You can buy and sell international ETFs on the ASX just like any other share, allowing you to easily invest in overseas markets, which can be difficult or expensive to access directly. Investing directly in individual international shares can be more complicated, because you must trade on an overseas exchange, use a broker that offers overseas share trading services and pay in foreign currency.
- Transparent – Information relating to ETFs, including underlying portfolio holdings and fees, can be accessed at any time via the fund manager’s website. You can also check the net asset value (NAV) of an international ETF daily to track the performance of the underlying assets and to see if the price of the ETF is close to the NAV.
International ETF Cons
- Currency risk – Currency fluctuations can affect your investment return from an international ETF. However, many BetaShares international ETFs are ‘currency hedged’, which reduces the impact of exchange rate movements.
Does an international ETF count as foreign income?
All BetaShares Funds are Australian-domiciled, which means there is no additional paperwork or administration when you buy any of our international funds. You are not required to complete US W8-BEN forms or risk any estate tax implications, both of which are a possibility when investing in non-Australian domiciled (or “cross-listed”) ETFs.
BetaShares Global Share Funds
Broad Global Funds
| ASX Code | Description | Factsheet |
|---|---|---|
| QLTY | BetaShares Global Quality Leaders ETF - Invest in a diversified portfolio of 150 of the world’s highest quality companies. | Download |
| HQLT | BetaShares Global Quality Leaders ETF - Currency Hedged - Access a diversified portfolio of 150 of the world’s highest quality companies, hedged into Australian Dollars. | Download |
Equity Income
| ASX Code | Description | Factsheet |
|---|---|---|
| INCM | BetaShares Global Income Leaders ETF - Opportunity to generate attractive, regular income from a diversified portfolio of 100 global companies. | Download |
| UMAX | BetaShares S&P 500 Yield Maximiser Fund (managed fund) - Opportunity to generate high income from a diversified portfolio of U.S. shares, in one ASX trade. | Download |
Global Sectors
| ASX Code | Description | Factsheet |
|---|---|---|
| NDQ | BetaShares Nasdaq 100 ETF - Own the future in a single ASX trade - Gain exposure to many of the world’s most innovative companies that are revolutionising our everyday lives – including Apple, Amazon, Google and more. | Download |
| DRUG | BetaShares Global Healthcare ETF – Currency Hedged - A simple and cost-effective way to gain exposure to a diversified portfolio the world’s leading healthcare companies. | Download |
| MNRS | BetaShares Global Gold Miners ETF– Currency Hedged - Gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of the world’s leading gold mining companies. | Download |
| FUEL | BetaShares Global Energy Companies ETF – Currency Hedged - Gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of the world’s largest energy companies. | Download |
| HACK | BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF - Gain exposure to the world’s leading cybersecurity companies. | Download |
| BNKS | BetaShares Global Banks ETF – Currency Hedged - A simple and cost-effective way to gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of the world’s largest banks. | Download |
| FOOD | BetaShares Global Agriculture ETF – Currency Hedged - Gain exposure to a diversified portfolio of the world’s leading agriculture companies. | Download |
| RBTZ | BetaShares Global Robotics and Artificial Intelligence ETF - Invest in the global companies leading the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) megatrend - a sector likely to have a profound impact on the world of tomorrow. | Download |
Regional & Country Exposure
| Description | Factsheet | |
|---|---|---|
| EMMG | BetaShares Legg Mason Emerging Markets Fund (managed fund) - Invest in an actively managed portfolio of carefully selected companies in the world’s fastest-growing economies. | Download |
| HJPN | BetaShares Japan ETF - Currency Hedged - Access a diversified portfolio of globally competitive Japanese companies. | Download |
| HEUR | BetaShares Europe ETF - Currency Hedged - Exposure to a diversified portfolio of globally competitive Eurozone companies. | Download |
| QUS | BetaShares FTSE RAFI U.S. 1000 ETF - Access a ‘fundamentally weighted’ index of 1000 large U.S. companies that aims to outperform traditional market capitalisation-weighted benchmarks without the active management fees. | Download |
| IIND | BetaShares India Quality ETF - A cost-effective way to invest in a diversified portfolio of high-quality companies in India - one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. | Download |
| F100 | BetaShares FTSE 100 ETF - Access a portfolio of 100 blue-chip companies on the London Stock Exchange. | Download |
| ASIA | BetaShares Asia Technology Tigers ETF - Access the 50 largest technology and online retail stocks in Asia (ex-Japan), including technology giants such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and JD.com. | Download |
Investing involves risk. The value of an investment and income distributions can go down as well as up. Before making an investment decision you should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (available at www.betashares.com.au) and your particular circumstances, including your tolerance for risk, and obtain financial advice. An investment in any BetaShares Fund should only be considered as a component of a broader portfolio.
