Strength in iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF's People Pillar is partially offset by an Average Process Pillar rating, leading to a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Neutral. The portfolio maintains a cost advantage over competitors, priced within the cheapest fee quintile among peers.  

 The strategy merits an Average Process Pillar rating. The strategy’s management team earns an Above Average People Pillar rating. The strategy's parent organization earns the firm an Above Average Parent Pillar rating. People, Process and Parent Pillar ratings for this strategy are indirectly assigned by a Morningstar analyst rather than algorithmically derived. Please see the notes following each pillar section for more details. The details of assigning methods can be found in each pillar section.

Analyst Rating

BHP Billiton

ClearBridge American Energy MLP Fund, Inc.

Carlisle Companies

WABCO Hlds

Western Gas Partners

Woodside Energy Group Ltd

Rio Tinto plc Sponsored

WideOpenWest

Statoil ASA Sponsored

Allstate

Morningstar's evaluation of this security's process aims to determine the likelihood that it will outperform its Morningstar Category benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF earns an Average Process Pillar rating. 
The investment strategy as stated in the fund's prospectus is:  The investment seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI Pacific ex Japan Index.  The fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index. The underlying index consists of stocks from the following four countries or regions: Australia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand and Singapore. The underlying index include large- and mid-capitalization companies and may change over time. The fund is non-diversified. 

 The portfolio is overweight in financial services and basic materials relative to the category average by 13.1 and 9.2 percentage points, respectively. The sectors with low exposure compared to category peers are technology and consumer cyclical, underweight the average by 20.4 and 8.1 percentage points of assets, respectively. The strategy owns 136 securities and is quite concentrated. Specifically, 43.8% of the strategy's assets are housed within the top 10 holdings, compared to the typical peer's 29.9%. And finally, in terms of portfolio turnover, looking at year-over-year movements, 7% of the fund's holdings have turned over, whether through increasing, decreasing, or changing a position. 

 Note: The Process Pillar rating is indirectly assigned by an analyst. When an analyst covers a passively managed vehicle that tracks a particular index, Morningstar associates the Process Pillar rating assigned to that vehicle with the index concerned. Morningstar then maps the Process Pillar rating associated with a given index to any other uncovered passive strategies that track the same index. This ensures that the analyst’s view is leveraged whenever available and promotes consistency when assigning Process Pillar ratings to passive vehicles associated with a given index.

Average

Process

iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF benefits considerably from its equity team, earning it an Above Average People Pillar rating. There are three managers listed on the fund: Paul Whitehead, Jennifer Hsui, Greg Savage. The team is well equipped, with an average of 18 years of portfolio management experience. Together, they manage a total of 257 strategies, with solid long-term prospects. The strategies average a Silver asset-weighted Morningstar Medalist Rating, indicating a position to deliver positive alpha relative to the category median in aggregate.  

 Note: This People Pillar rating is indirectly assigned by an analyst. Morningstar analysts evaluate the People Pillar for passive products at the brand level and may also differentiate by asset class. There is at least one other passive strategy at the firm that is covered by a Morningstar analyst, so the People Pillar rating of the fund is inherited from the rating that the Morningstar analyst assigned to investment vehicles under the same brand name.

Above Average

People

BlackRock offers compelling options across asset classes and vehicles. It earns an Above Average rating for Parent. 
The firm’s approximately USD 8 trillion in assets under management, as of Sept. 30, 2022, gives it unparalleled scale and influence. It is a market-leading index fund provider globally, and its iShares exchange-traded fund franchise offers a low-cost lineup of core funds that investors can use to build a well-diversified portfolio for dirt cheap. The firm can be more adventurous in its ETF launches than some peers, so not everything it launches is appropriate for the masses. As a result, it is likely to have more ETF closures than peers that stick to the basic building blocks.  
The firm’s active fixed-income and multi-asset efforts also stand out as some of the best in the industry. Those benefit from BlackRock’s commitment to building a first-class risk management system via its Aladdin analytics software. The software is also available for sale to other firms and has proved to be a popular option for competitors, a testament to its usefulness. 
More recently, the firm has shifted its focus to ESG offerings and incorporating ESG across its investment lineup, leading to a political backlash in the United States.
BlackRock isn’t the best at everything it tries to do, but retail investors, financial advisors, and large institutions could all build robust portfolios using BlackRock’s products.

Parent

iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Japan ETF

EPP tracks a market-cap-weighted index of companies in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan.

iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF

First Trust Hong Kong AlphaDEX Fund

Hong Kong has authorized its first exchange-traded funds tracking digital assets bitcoin and ether, according to statements from multiple issuers on Monday, boosting the wider market and making the city Asia's first to offer the popular products after the U.S. launched the first spot bitcoin ETFs earlier this year.

Bitcoin And Ether Climb As Firms Approve Crypto ETFs In Hong Kong

Hong Kong conditionally approved its first spot bitcoin and ether exchange traded funds (ETFs) on Monday, money managers said, paving the way for the city to become Asia's first to accept the cryptocurrencies as a mainstream investment tool.

Hong Kong gives initial approval to first bitcoin, ether spot ETFs, say funds

ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF

ARK Web x.0 ETF

Proshares Bitcoin & Ether Equal Weight Strategy Etf

Proshares Bitcoin & Ether Strategy Etf

Bitwise Bitcoin ETP Trust

Bitwise Bitcoin Strategy Optimum Roll ETF

ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF

Bitwise Crypto Innovators ETF

Global X Blockchain & Bitcoin Strategy ETF

Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund

Invesco Alerian Galaxy Blockchain Users and Decentralized Commerce ETF

Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund

Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin Etf

WisdomTree Bitcoin Fund

Valkyrie Bitcoin Strategy ETF

Bitwise Bitcoin And Ether Equal Weight Strategy Etf

Hashdex Bitcoin ETF

Franklin Bitcoin ETF

Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust

VanEck Bitcoin Trust

iShares Bitcoin Trust

Invesco Alerian Galaxy Crypto Economy ETF

Simplify US Equity PLUS GBTC ETF

Schwab Crypto Thematic ETF

Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF

Vaneck Bitcoin Strategy ETF

Spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds could be launched in Hong Kong this month with the first approvals likely to be announced next week, two people familiar with the matter said.

Hong Kong set to approve its first spot bitcoin ETFs in April, sources say

iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF

SmartETFs Asia Pacific Dividend Builder ETF

iShares Asia 50 ETF

Global X FTSE Southeast Asia ETF

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Developed Asia EX-Japan ETF

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF

Xtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund

iShares Asia/Pacific Dividend ETF

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF

iShares MSCI Philippines ETF

iShares MSCI Australia ETF

iShares MSCI Japan ETF

iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF

iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF

iShares MSCI Singapore ETF

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF

First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund

Franklin FTSE Australia ETF

Franklin FTSE Asia ex Japan ETF

Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF

Franklin FTSE Japan ETF

Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF

Franklin FTSE Taiwan ETF

First Trust Asia Pacific ex-Japan AlphaDEX Fund

SPDR S&P Emerging Asia Pacific ETF

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETF

Xtrackers International Real Estate ETF

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF

iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF

iShares JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF

Direxion MSCI Daily South Korea Bull 3X Shares

iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Thailand ETF

Global X MSCI Vietnam ETF

VanEck Vectors Vietnam ETF

Vanguard FTSE Pacific ETF

While the China macro story of ongoing transition is a headwind to the rest of Asia, there is more to the region's economic health than this.

Asia-Pacific Is Not Just China

iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF

VanEck Vectors Indonesia Index ETF

The total nominal GDP of the ten ASEAN nations measured in US dollar terms amounted to USD 3.6 trillion in 2022, more than doubling compared with total GDP of USD 1.6 trillion in 2009. Singapore's GDP growth rate improved to a pace of 2.8% y/y in the fourth quarter of 2023 according to the advance estimate of GDP from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

ASEAN Economic Outlook In 2024

The region is likely to see faster disinflation, but prospects for growth in coming years are dimming. Strong consumer spending has supported growth in Asia's three largest economies this year, but there are already signs that the region's recovery may be running out of steam.

Asia Continues To Fuel Global Growth, But Economic Momentum Is Slowing

HSBC Holdings

HSBC, the banking giant managing nearly $3 trillion in assets, has reportedly allowed its customers to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange.

HSBC Offers Crypto ETFs for Clients in Hong Kong: Report

iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF invests in mature companies in mature sectors within mature markets, hence its yield has been consistent and decent within a range of 3.6% to 4.8%. EPP's major investments in financial, materials, and energy sectors (58% of total) generated significantly high price growth during the past 12 months. EPP's portfolio has a weighted average price P/E ratio of 14.6, is currently trading almost at par, and its portfolio lacks clear outperformance potential.

EPP: Pacific Ex Japan ETF With Consistent, Decent Yield, Nothing Exciting

ARK Innovation ETF

Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Europe ETF

Asian Growth CUBS ETF

Xtrackers MSCI Europe Hedged Equity ETF

Xtrackers MSCI Eurozone Hedged Equity ETF

WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Europe Quality Dividend Growth Fund

ProShares MSCI Europe Dividend Growers ETF

Direxion Daily FTSE Europe Bull 3X Shares

WisdomTree Europe Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF

First Trust STOXX European Select Dividend Index Fund

First Trust Europe AlphaDEX Fund

First Trust Eurozone AlphaDEX ETF

SPDR EURO STOXX 50 ETF

UBS AG FI Enhanced Europe 50 ETN

Most ETF trading activity occurs in the secondary market, where ETF shares change hands between buyers and sellers. March 2023 saw a number of shocks to global financial markets, including bank bailouts and the prolonged effects of a heightened interest rate environment.

Global ETF Market Facts: 3 Things To Know From Q1 2023

iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF invests in Asia Pacific stocks, excluding Japan. The fund is probably undervalued, however, I do not perceive the fund as offering an exciting opportunity to outperform in the longer run.

EPP: An Undervalued Asia Pacific ETF With Weak Outperformance Potential

Two exchange traded funds (ETF) that track U.S.-listed cryptocurrency futures have raised a combined $73.6 million ahead of their debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on Friday in defiance of the sector's meltdown.

Amid crypto turmoil, Hong Kong debuts first crypto futures ETFs

CSOP FTSE China A50 ETF

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF

Xtrackers Harvest CSI 500 China A-Shares Small Cap ETF

Xtrackers MSCI China A Inclusion Equity ETF

VanEck China Bond ETF

Global X China Biotech Innovation ETF

Global X MSCI China Communication Services ETF

Global X China Energy ETF

Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF

Global X China Industrials

Global X MSCI China Information Technology ETF

Global X MSCI China Large Cap 50 ETF

Global X China Materials ETF

Global X China Consumer ETF

Global X MSCI China Real Estate ETF

Global X MSCI China Consumer Staples ETF

Global X MSCI China Utilities ETF

Global X China Financials ETF

Loncar China Biopharma ETF

Xtrackers MSCI All China Equity ETF

VanEck Vectors ChinaAMC SME-ChiNext ETF

iShares MSCI China A ETF

Invesco China Technology ETF

WisdomTree China ex-State-Owned Enterprises Fund

iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF

First Trust China AlphaDEX Fund

Franklin FTSE China ETF

Franklin FTSE Hong Kong ETF

First Trust Chindia ETF

iShares China Large-Cap ETF

ProShares UltraShort FTSE China 50

SPDR S&P China ETF

KraneShares MSCI All China Index ETF

KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A Share ETF

KraneShares Bloomberg China Bond Inclusion Index ETF

KraneShares CICC China 5G & Semiconductor Index ETF

KraneShares CICC China Leaders 100 Index ETF

Kraneshares MSCI China Environment Index ETF

KraneShares SSE STAR Market 50 Index ETF

KraneShares Hang Seng Tech Index ETF

KraneShares MSCI All China Health Care Index ETF

KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF

iShares MSCI China ETF

Invesco Golden Dragon China ETF

Rayliant Quantamental China Equity ETF

Templeton Dragon Fund

ProShares Ultra FTSE China 50

Direxion Daily FTSE China Bear 3X Shares

Direxion Daily FTSE China Bull 3X Shares

ProShares Short FTSE China 50

Non-China Asian exports are still growing, but the pace of increase has slowed and will slow still further as key export destinations struggle with inflation, energy security, and rising recession risks. In year-on-year terms, the rate of overall export growth is now skirting single-digits again.

Asian Exports Are Softening

SHANGHAI (Reuters) -The Shanghai Stock Exchange said subscription and redemption in 67 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) would be halted on Thursday due to a trading suspension in Hong Kong triggered by a typhoon.

Business in 67 Shanghai-traded ETFs halted by Hong Kong typhoon delay

iShares MSCI Japan Equal Weighted ETF

iShs Crr Hg JPX Shs

A multifaced response, including increasing interest rates, is needed to prevent an upward spiral of price expectations and rising capital outflows. China, Asia's largest economy, saw a significant deceleration in the second quarter as the zero-COVID policy prompted lockdowns for major cities and supply-chain hubs.

Asia's Economies Face Weakening Growth, Rising Inflation Pressures

The ASEAN region has shown a strong rebound in manufacturing output during October. As a result of the severe negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread lockdowns and travel bans, many ASEAN economies were in deep recession during 2020.

ASEAN Manufacturing Rebounds In October, RCEP Ratification Boosts Longer-Term Economic Outlook

iShares MSCI Canada ETF

Global X FTSE Nordic Region ETF

iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF

Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF

SPDR Portfolio Europe ETF

Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF

Vanguard Total World Stock ETF

Are you considering an international ETF for your portfolio? Indeed, 2019 turned out to be the second-best year on record for ETFs.

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News for iShares MSCI Pacific ex-Japan ETF ETF (EPP)