Vanguard Group filed a registration statement with the SEC for the Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund, which will track the FTSE High Dividend Yield Index, said spokeswoman Melissa Nigro. The fund, which will offer both traditional investor shares and ETF shares, should be available during the fourth quarter, she said.
Also, the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value Index Fund and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Growth Index Fund, for which the firm filed registration statements on April 27, is open for investment, according to a news release today. With the launch of those funds, Vanguard said it now offers funds in each segment of the broad U.S. stock market, from small cap through large cap, in value, blend and growth styles.
Separately, the target benchmark on its $9.6 billion Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund was changed to the MSCI Emerging Markets index from the MSCI Select Emerging Markets index, giving portfolio managers greater flexibility to invest in countries such as Russia and Malaysia, according to a news release. The previous benchmark was customized for the fund at its inception in 1994, but it excluded Russia and Malaysia because of concerns over liquidity and entry barriers to those markets.
"With further changes in the emerging markets that have eased entry barriers and facilitated trading by foreign investors, Vanguard believes that additional emerging markets countries, chiefly Russia and Malaysia, now warrant inclusion in the fund," according to the release.
