Here's why 2021 was a stellar year for the Vanguard International Shares ETF (ASX:VGS)

How did this ETF perform last year?

Sebastian Bowen

Author Bio Sebastian Bowen has been a Motley Fool contributor since late 2018. Sebastian found his passion for writing and educating others about shares and all things finance after completing his studies in political, economic and social science and enjoys bringing this passion to life at the Fool. His investment philosophy is a simple one – buying high-quality companies at prices that make sense. When he’s not researching his next investment at all hours of the morning, Sebastian enjoys classic movies and likes to unwind with a good book, newspaper or record. Areas of Expertise Dividend investing ETFs Education Bachelor of Political, Economic, and Social Sciences (Government and International Relations), University of Sydney Social Media X/Twitter Favorite Investment Quote "In the short run, the market is a voting machine, but in the long run, it is a weighing machine." – Benjamin Graham

Published January 5, 2022 11:39 am AEDT

So 2021 was a great year for ASX shares. Over the year just passed, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) managed a rough 13% rise. That explains why the ASX's most popular exchange-traded fund (ETF), the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS), managed a healthy 16.7% or so return over 2021. But what about Vanguard's second-most popular ASX ETF, the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)?

This Vanguard ETF is a different kettle of fish to VAS or the ASX 200. That's because it doesn't hold or invest in ASX shares at all. Instead, VGS holds an enormous basket of international shares that are domiciled in advanced economies around the world. More than 70% of its weighted holdings are US companies, but this ETF also has exposure to Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore.

As you might expect, its largest holdings are also US-dominated. We have Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) taking out the top spot, with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) behind it.

But overall, the Vanguard International Shares ETF holds close to 1,500 individual companies from around the world. That's some hefty diversification!

But time to get out of the weeds and into the numbers. So how did VGS perform over 2021?

A young female investor sits in her home office looking at her ipad and smiling as she sees the QBE share price rising — Image source: Getty Images

How did the VGS ETF stack up over 2021?

Well, units of this ETF began last year at a price of $84.12 each. They finished up last Friday at $106.90 per unit. That's a capital gain of 27.08%. But we also need to take into account VGS's dividend distributions.

VGS pays a quarterly dividend distribution, which amounted to approximately $1.87 per unit over 2021. That gives the Vanguard International Shares ETF a yield of 1.75% on its 2021 closing unit price. So, you can bump up that 27.08% return to roughly 28.8%.

That's objectively a very pleasing return for any investment over one year. But it would be especially pleasing for investors given that the ASX 200 and the Vanguard Australian Shares ETF returned less than half of that figure last year.

So there you have it, VGS's performance for 2021. It will be interesting to see if this popular ASX ETF can beat out VAS and the ASX 200 again in 2022.

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