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Is WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ - Free Report) made its debut on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $3.17 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. DXJ, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index.
The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index is designed to provide exposure to Japanese equity markets while at the same time neutralizing exposure to fluctuations of the Japanese Yen movements relative to the U.S. dollar.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.48% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.76%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Toyota Motor Corp accounts for about 5.12% of the fund's total assets, followed by Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group and Mitsubishi Corp.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 31.68% of DXJ's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, DXJ has gained about 42.10%, and was up about 38.09% in the last one year (as of 11/14/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $63.95 and $91.89.
The fund has a beta of 0.64 and standard deviation of 16.53% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DXJ a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 439 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP - Free Report) tracks MORNINGSTAR JAPAN TRGT MRKT EXPOSURE ID and the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ - Free Report) tracks MSCI Japan Index. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF has $9.20 billion in assets, iShares MSCI Japan ETF has $12.86 billion. BBJP has an expense ratio of 0.19% and EWJ charges 0.50%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Is WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (DXJ - Free Report) made its debut on 06/16/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $3.17 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs. DXJ, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index.
The WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Index is designed to provide exposure to Japanese equity markets while at the same time neutralizing exposure to fluctuations of the Japanese Yen movements relative to the U.S. dollar.
Cost & Other Expenses
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long-term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins, other things remaining the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.48% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.76%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
Taking into account individual holdings, Toyota Motor Corp accounts for about 5.12% of the fund's total assets, followed by Mitsubishi Ufj Financial Group and Mitsubishi Corp.
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 31.68% of DXJ's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, DXJ has gained about 42.10%, and was up about 38.09% in the last one year (as of 11/14/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $63.95 and $91.89.
The fund has a beta of 0.64 and standard deviation of 16.53% for the trailing three-year period, which makes DXJ a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 439 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF (BBJP - Free Report) tracks MORNINGSTAR JAPAN TRGT MRKT EXPOSURE ID and the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ - Free Report) tracks MSCI Japan Index. JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF has $9.20 billion in assets, iShares MSCI Japan ETF has $12.86 billion. BBJP has an expense ratio of 0.19% and EWJ charges 0.50%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Asia-Pacific (Developed) ETFs.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.