Vanguard Total International Stock ETF

VXUS

Market cap $143B

The VIX hit above 31 in late March 2026 before pulling back to roughly 19 by mid-April, and it's this kind of volatility cycle, a sharp spike followed by rapid normalization, that has historically coincided with increased activity from long-term index investors.

With the VIX sitting near 19 after a sharp pullback from a March spike above 31, and the Fed holding rates steady at 3.75% after cutting 75 basis points over the prior year, the equity market backdrop in April 2026 sits in ambiguous territory.

Ceasefire hopes, persistent volatility in the U.S. markets and a softer dollar are driving investors to look beyond domestic equities and toward global equity ETFs for broader diversification.

Vanguard Total International Stock ETF is rated a strong buy, offering compelling value versus U.S. equities and benefiting from a potential weakening dollar. VXUS trades at a significant valuation discount to the S&P 500, with ex-U.S. earnings growth converging and double-digit EPS growth expected in 2026. Lack of FX hedging in VXUS allows U.S. investors to directly benefit from dollar weakness, amplifying returns on international equities.

It's smart to diversify your portfolio beyond just U.S. stocks. These ETFs will quickly and easily have you invested in hundreds, if not thousands, of international stocks.

Cinthia Murphy, investment strategist at VettaFi, joined Nate Geraci on this week's ETF Prime to discuss record ETF flows in the first quarter despite challenging market conditions. The industry exceeded $460 billion in total flows, a 50% year-over-year increase from Q1 2025, according to Murphy.

Throughout 2025, the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ( NYSE: VOO ) has performed well over the past 12 months at +29%, but Q1 2026 has been a struggle: at the time of this writing, it is -3.54% , year-to-date.

Financial advisors usually charge around 1% of portfolio value annually for their services. In many cases, a simple portfolio of a few ultra-cheap ETFs can do the job while saving you the cost.

A leader in mutual funds and credited for launching the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) platform, John Bogle's Vanguard Group has grown from its mid-70s retail market focused launch to become the second largest US asset manager after BlackRock.

A look at ETF flows for the month of March suggests caution is back in vogue. Fixed income ETFs showed serious muscle in the asset gathering race last month, capturing nearly 45% of net creations.