Well, it's been another stunning day for ASX investors this Tuesday. For one, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has gained a rosy 0.88% (at the time of writing). However, the ASX 200 has also hit a new all-time record high during intra-day trading. And that has led to many ASX shares, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), clocking new highs as well.
Yep, the ASX 200 clocked a new record of 8,331.7 points this afternoon. It's the first time in history that the index has been over the 8,300 threshold.
As you would expect, this new high has filtered through to many ASX 200 shares, which, as we just mentioned, have also hit new records. But let's discuss the ASX ETFs that have just scaled new heights.
5 ASX ETFs that just clocked new all-time highs
First up is the Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS). VGS units closed at $129.31 each yesterday but opened at $130.59 this morning before rising as high as $130.87, the highest this index fund has ever traded at.
Next, we have another Vanguard fund, the Vanguard US Total Market Shares Index ETF (ASX: VTS). VTS units shut up shop yesterday at $424.96 each but opened this morning at $429.25 before rising as high as $430.05 over today's session. You guessed it, that also happens to be a new record.
Then there's another popular ASX ETF in the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV) to consider. IVV finished Monday's trading at $57.45 but opened at $58.05 this morning before climbing up to $58.22. That's this index fund's new high watermark.
An ASX ETF and index fund is next, with the SPDR S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: STW) joining the party today. STW units concluded yesterday's session at a price of $74.36 but opened at $74.83 this morning before rising to a high of $75.16. Again, that figure is this fund's new all-time record high.
Finally, a thematic ASX ETF rounds out our list today. The BetaShares Global Cybersecurity ETF (ASX: HACK). HACK units started the morning's trading at $12.62 after closing at $12.61 yesterday evening. But during intra-day trading, those units got up as high as $12.67. Once more, that's this ASX ETF's new record high.
Why are these ETFs hitting new records today?
We don't have to look too far to see why these ASX ETFs are all clocking new records this Tuesday. Firstly, The SPDR ASX 200 ETF is merely following its ASX 200 benchmark. As an index fund, STW tries to mirror its benchmark index as closely as possible. With the ASX 200 Index hitting its own record today, it's no surprise to see an ASX 200-tracking index fund like STW follow suit.
It's a similar story with the iShares S&P 500 ETF. Overnight, the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX), which IVV tracks, clocked a new record high of 5,871.41 points. So again, it's not too startling to see IVV units take their cues from this high on the ASX today.
This also extends to the Vanguard US Total Markets ETF. VTS is very similar in nature to IVV and represents an investment in the entire US stock market, as opposed to IVV, which reflects the performance of the 500 largest American stocks. With the S&P 500 setting new records overnight, it makes sense that a complete US markets index fund is following in its footsteps.
US markets drive new highs
The Vanguard International Shares ETF is a more interesting case. This ETF doesn't solely track US shares, offering exposure to more than 20 different countries' stock markets. However, US shares still make up the lion's share of VGS' weighted portfolio. Clearly, these stocks have driven VGS to its new record too.
Finally, the Betashares Global Cybersecurity ETF isn't a traditional index fund, only offering investors a portfolio of global cybersecurity companies.
Overnight, many of HACK's top stocks (which also happen to mostly be American) inched closer to their own 52-week highs. Those included Palo Alto, Broadcom, and Cisco Systems. It seems that these gains have percolated into HACK units' stellar ASX performance this Tuesday.
Let's see what happens with these ASX ETFs over the rest of the week.
