As is the case with other ETF providers this season, there are some mega dividends on the list.

The biggest dollar-value dividend on the iShares schedule is $13.98 per unit for iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (ASX: IKO) units.

The iShares Global 100 (Currency-hedged) ETF (ASX: IHOO) will pay investors $11.82 per unit, making it another major payer.

Examples of other mega dividends this season include a VanEck fund paying $17.99 per unit and a Global X fund paying $16.26 per unit.

The ex-dividend date for iShares ETFs is tomorrow, 1 July. BlackRock will pay ASX ETF investors on 13 July. 

iShares ASX ETF dividends

Here is an abridged list of estimated distributions that iShares ETF investors will receive on 13 July.

Own other ASX ETFs?

If you own Vanguard ETFs such as Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS), see this season's dividends here.

Invested in VanEck ETFs such as VanEck Gold Miners ETF (ASX: GDX)? View distributions here.

If you own Global X ETFs like Global X Semiconductor ETF (ASX: SEMI) or Global X Fang+ ETF (ASX: FANG), see a list of dividends here.

The post Own ASX IVV or other iShares ETFs? Here is your next dividend appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Rising oil and gas prices rattled investors, raising concerns about the impact on the businesses they were invested in.

We are starting to see that impact, with Qantas Airways Ltd (ASX: QAN) doubling its jet fuel cost estimates for 2H FY26 today.

Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) chair Dr Andrew Forrest has also revealed they paid up to double for emergency fuel supplies last month.

With all this in mind, it's interesting to look at how Aussie investors repositioned their ASX ETF portfolios as the conflict unfolded.

Aussies have $329 billion invested in ASX ETFs, and last month they ploughed an additional $5.6 billion into their favoured funds.

That makes March the third-highest month for net inflows ever. It seems the volatility caused by the war did not dampen their interest.

A new report from Betashares, which shows the top 10 ASX ETFs for inflows and outflows last month, reveals some interesting trends.

Let's take a look.

Top 10 ASX ETFs for inflows last month

Top 10 ETFs for outflows

How ASX ETFs investors repositioned last month

The VAS ETF is the most popular Australian shares ETF on the market, so it's no surprise to see it take out the top spot.

VGS is the most popular international shares ETF, so it's routine to see it close to the top as well.

The presence of IHVV in the top inflows list, and its unhedged counterpart IVV ETF in the top outflows, shows investors are mindful of currency changes over the past 12 months.

The Australian dollar has risen from just over 60 US cents 12 months ago to a three-year high of 70.8 US cents today.

As James Gruber, Equity Market Strategist at CommSec, points out:

When the Australian dollar strengthens, your international ETF returns shrink, and if the Australian dollar weakens, your returns improve.

Outflows from QAU ETF reflect profit-taking amid a 21% decline in the gold price over the first three weeks of March.

Sprott Managing Partner, Paul Wong, said investors need not be worried though.

Wong added:

Gold's March drop reflects a liquidity crunch, not a breakdown in its long-term role. 

As financial stress builds, gold is likely to reassert itself as a key monetary anchor.

Another interesting trend is the inflows into non-US international ETFs, reflecting the poorer performance of US markets this year.

In the year to date, the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) has lifted just 0.6% compared to a 3% bump for the ASX 200.

The post How ASX ETF investors repositioned as the Iran war shook markets appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Thanks partly to our unique system of franking, as well as some good old fashioned love of country, it's fair to say that ASX investors have a strong local bias.

When we do branch out to invest beyond our shores, it is usually a direct flight to the US markets. As I've written here before, the US is, as it should be, the first port of call for ASX investors seeking international diversification. No one can deny that the US is home to the vast majority of the world's best and most dominant businesses. No other country's share market constituents can match the size, scope and scale of top US stocks like Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Netflix, Mastercard, Procter & Gamble, Apple, and countless others.

However, that doesn't meaning investing in US stocks isn't without risk. The US-Iran war that has been raging all month proves that. As such, I think the prudent investor might wish to consider diversifying beyond just Australia and America. The easiest way to do this, by far, is by using exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Let's go through some of the best options for stocks outside Australia and the US.

3 ASX ETFs that can help diversify a portfolio

First up, there's the Vanguard All-World ex-US Shares Index ETF (ASX: VEU). This ETF, as its name implies, throws a whole bunch of different countries' stock markets together, with the notable exception of the US. The largest contributors to VEU's portfolio include Japan, the United Kingdom, China, Canada, India, and Taiwan. A healthy mix of advanced and developing economies there. ASX do feature in this ETF as well, although they make up just 4.3% of the entire portfolio.

Another option to consider is the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Shares ETF (ASX: VGE). VGE focuses exclusively on emerging economies, so you won't find European, British or Japanese stocks here. Instead, VGE's largest contributors are countries like China, Taiwan, Brazil, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Finally, investors can consider the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE). This fund covers markets from Europe, Asia and the Far East (EAFE). It offers exposure to countries ranging form Japan, Spain and the UK to Germany, Singapore and Israel. Again, Australia is included as well, but contributes just over 6% to IVE's holdings.

Foolish takeaway

All three of these ASX ETFs offer Australian investors an easy way to add exposure to stocks from Europe, Asia and Africa to their portfolios. These regions are under-represented in the vast majority of ASX portfolios, and can help insulate investors from adverse movements on the American or Australian markets.

The post These 3 ASX ETFs can help protect your portfolio in 2026 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Today, let's look at some of the best performing funds managed by iShares. 

iShares is the exchange-traded fund (ETF) brand owned by BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. 

In the context of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), iShares offers a range of ETFs that provide Australian investors with access to local and global markets.

iShares International Equity ETFs – iShares China Large-Cap ETF (ASX: IZZ)

As the name suggests, this fund is designed to measure the performance of 50 of the largest and most liquid Chinese companies which trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Its largest holdings are Tencent Holdings (8.69% weighting) and Xiaomi Corp (8.5%). 

In the last year, the fund has risen an impressive 41.01%. 

This fund could suit investors seeking direct exposure to China's large-cap companies without picking individual stocks, particularly those who believe in China's long-term growth and expanding middle class. 

It could be ideal for diversifying a global or Australian portfolio with an emerging markets tilt, provided the investor is comfortable with the regulatory and political risks associated with Chinese equities.

iShares International Equity ETFs – iShares Europe ETF (ASX: IEU)

Many Australian investors may not be aware that European focussed ETFs such as IEU outpaced the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) over the last year. 

The IEU fund tracks the performance of the S&P Europe 350 from 16 major developed European markets.

In the past year it has grown 16.32%. 

Its largest geographical exposure is to the United Kingdom (23.13%), France (16.8%), Germany (15.49%) and Switzerland (14.3%). 

It could suit investors seeking to diversify their portfolio internationally with relatively stable, mature markets, and who believe in the long-term strength of European industrials, financials, and consumer companies.

iShares International Equity ETFs – iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE)

This fund has a diverse portfolio with a broad range of companies in Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Far East. 

None of the holdings make up more than 2% of the fund, with the largest exposure being to the financial and industrials sectors. 

It is up 13.40% over the last year. 

It could benefit investors aiming to diversify beyond Australia and the U.S., while staying within the relative stability of developed markets.

The post Best performing iShares ASX ETFs in the last year appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

For one, I don't yet have enough funds in my account to make running a self-managed super fund (SMSF) economical.

For another, not withstanding the significant tax benefits of using super, I don't relish the idea of locking up too much of my capital away until I'm in my 60s.

Even so, my superannuation provider allows me to have some autonomy over the funds in my super.

Until now, my super has been a very simple affair. Roughly half of all incoming capital is directed into an ASX index fund. This ensures that a portion of my retirement income is flowing into the largest stocks on the ASX, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) and Telstra Group Ltd (ASX: TLS).

The other half goes straight into an American index fund. This covers world-leading stocks like Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Berkshire Hathaway and dozens of other household names.

For the past few years, I was very happy with his arrangement. It gives me access to some of the ASX's best companies, including the tax-advantaged franked dividends they provide. It also lets me diversify across geographies and currencies by holding those top-tier American companies, too.

However, I am currently rethinking this arrangement. I've come to the conclusion that a little bit more diversification might benefit my portfolio enormously.

Using ASX ETFs to diversify my superannuation

Why? Well, like many investors, my faith in the United States of America is waning.

In my view, the country is woefully divided and riven with political toxicity. The current administration has made no bones about its disdain for the political conventions and norms upon which the country was founded.

Even worse, it is pursuing, in my opinion, an economically disastrous trade policy. Much has been made of the Trump Always Chickens Out (TACO) trade. However, President Trump seems intent on surrounding the United States with tariffs and other trade barriers. The administration seems intent on forcing the US to abandon its leading role in the global economy.

This has spooked many investors. Demand for US government bonds looks to be falling, as does faith and demand for US dollars.

A new federal government budget that dangerously increases US debt levels has done nothing to assuage these concerns.

As a result, I am no longer comfortable with half of my super going into US stocks.

Instead, I am looking to diversify my super.

I am considering employing three new ASX exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in this endeavour.

They are the iShares MSCI Japan ETF (ASX: IJP), the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (ASX: IKO) and the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE).

Those first two names cover the Japanese and South Korean stock markets, respectively. IVE, meanwhile, is a fund that tracks markets in Europe and East Asia.

All of these economies house world-leading companies like Toyota, Nestle, Hyundai and Nintendo. They provide, in my view, some much-needed ballast against the precarious economic position of the United States in 2025.

Foolish takeaway

I'm hoping to incorporate at least one, if not two or three, of these ETFs in my superannuation fund in the near future. Warren Buffett once said that diversification is useful if you don't know what you're doing. It seems to me that the United States doesn't really know what it is doing right now. As such, I think some anti-US diversification is sorely needed.

The post I want to add these 3 ASX ETFs to my super fund. Here's why. appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Diversification can be a double-edged sword. All investors acknowledge the importance of hedging risks associated with single companies, markets, and currencies. After all, none of us knows what the future might have in store for us. However, ASX investors can also be in danger of 'over-diversifying', which can lead to sub-optimal returns.

Saying that, there are investors out there who prioritise capital protection over maximising their returns. For those investors, let's discuss how you can build the ultimately diversified $100,000 portfolio using only ASX ETFs today.

Building a $100,000 ASX ETF portfolio for ultimate diversification

Getting to the ultimate level of diversification, we will need to spread out our portfolio across multiple asset classes, not just stocks.

However, in recognising the need to balance a portfolio between capital protection and meaningful returns, we will still be allocating 70% of our portfolio to stocks. For investors who are uncomfortable with this level of risk, you can always decrease that. Today, though, we'll use that as a benchmark.

Kicking things off, we'll allocate $20,000 to the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS). This index fund tracks the largest 300 shares on our market. That's everything from the big four banks and BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) to Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd (ASX: HVN) and Coles Group Ltd (ASX: COL).

ASX shares have historically delivered compelling returns. Plus, you'll get some additional benefits from the franking credits that VAS provides.

Next, we'll supplement VAS with an additional $20,000 allocated to the iShares S&P 500 ETF (ASX: IVV). This index fund tracks the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX), which, similarly to VAS, tracks the largest 500 shares listed on the US markets. The American stock market houses some of the world's best companies.

I think it would be negligent to ignore stocks of the calibre of Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Netflix, Mastercard, Coca-Cola, and other world-dominating businesses that call the United States home. Exposure to the US dollar, although currently unfashionable, is also still prudent.

ASX ETFs for EAFE and emerging markets

We'll give a further $15,000 each to both the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE) and the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Shares ETF (ASX: VGE).

These two ASX ETFs give us even more diversification by adding exposure to stocks listed in Europe, Asia, and emerging markets.

The iShares EAFE ETF tracks markets across Europe, Asia, and the Far East (EAFE). Most of its portfolio comes from Japan, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. Its top holdings include ASML Holdings, Nestle, Shell, and Toyota.

Meanwhile, the Vanguard Emerging Markets ETF holds stocks from emerging markets, including China, India, Taiwan, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.

Both of these ETFs hold companies that aren't too prominent in most major ASX ETFs. As such, they add a healthy level of geographic and currency diversification to our portfolio.

So that's the 70%. What about the other 30%?

Bonds and precious metals

If you want true diversification for capital protection, you should look beyond stocks as an investment. So, for our last two ASX ETFs, we'll be adding exposure to bonds and gold.

These asset classes have traditionally offered returns uncorrelated with share markets. As such, they can be useful in a portfolio during stock market crashes and other disruptive events in global markets.

For bonds, we'll be allocating $15,000 to the Vanguard Global Aggregate Bond Index ETF (ASX: VBND). This fund holds bonds issued by a variety of governments around the world, as well as by some investment-grade corporations.

It offers exposure to everything from US Treasuries to British Gilts and bonds issued by McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and even the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA). Investors will probably appreciate the reliable income that a fund like this can provide.

Finally, we'll be putting our final $15,000 into the Perth Mint Gold Structured Product (ASX: PMGOLD). This exchange-traded vehicle allows investors to buy units that have a direct correlation with the price of gold in Australian dollars. Gold has always been used as a safe haven for investors, providing protection against inflation, currency erosion, and global geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Investors are also attracted to its finite supply and inherent value.

Gold pays no yield. Even so, it has been one of the best-performing asset classes in recent years, thanks to ongoing global uncertainty. If you want to achieve the ultimate level of diversification, it makes sense to have at least some exposure to precious metals like gold in one's portfolio.

The post Here's how I would build a $100,000 ETF portfolio for ultimate ASX diversification today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

What is 'diversification'?

Diversification in its essence refers to spreading out your capital among different investments to mitigate risk. It is certainly a theory that has merit. One of the founders of modern portfolio theory (a prominent theory of how markets operate that we Fools often disagree with), Harry Markowitz, famously called diversification "the only free lunch in finance". And to some extent that's true. It is possible to 'diversify' a portfolio in a way that boosts your potential returns without increasing the risk of losing your money.

The idea is that by spreading out your capital, you reduce the chances of a single event, whether that be relating to an individual company or an entire market (e.g. Australia), from decimating your portfolio. Take an investor who has all of their wealth in Sydney property. Well, that investor is highly exposed to a disruption in that one single market. If that investor sold a house or two and invested the profits in ASX shares, their diversification would increase. This is an example of when diversification is probably a wise and prudent thing to do.

But what about a pure portfolio of ASX shares?

Di-worse-ification

Well, I think some investors do get a little carried away with diversification. We Fools like to advocate that all active investors get to a point where they have 15-20 different and uncorrelated ASX shares for diversification purposes. We also think that adding a few international shares is a good idea as well, just in case the entire Australian economy is hit with some kind of black swan event.

But you could take it a lot further. ASX shares are just one asset class of many. There are also government bonds, corporate bonds, precious metals, property, cryptocurrencies and cash to consider. There's also a range of more eccentric investment options too, like collectables, fine wine, art.. .the list goes on.

And in the world of shares, there are also countless options. Every exchange-traded fund (ETF) provider on the market will tell you that buying their ETF is a good idea for diversification. Why stop at ASX and US shares? Why not get exposure to European shares with the iShares Europe ETF (ASX: IEU)? Or Asia with the Vanguard FTSE Asia ex-Japan Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAE)?. Or the 'Far East' with the iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE)? You get the idea… Going down this path won't lead to a good long-term outcome in my view.

Foolish takeaway

There are literally thousands of ETF combinations you could have in your portfolio, but there does come a point when you're changing the oil in a rental car, so to speak. I don't think you really gain much benefit from holding a portfolio of 20 diversified companies against a portfolio of 1,000 companies, or a collection of ETFs covering every corner of the investing world. If you choose to invest passively, just one market-wide ETF does give you quite a lot of diversification. And if you actively invest, I think you can get as much balance as you need with a portfolio of 15-20 shares (perhaps with some international ones thrown in for good measure). So don't get too carried away with diversification, you might end up diversifying your profits if you do!

The post Is your ASX share portfolio too diversified? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

But these days (much like the app store), if there's a trend, asset class or industry to track, chances are there's an ETF for that.

But with a plethora of choice out there, which ETFs should we choose for our portfolios? Well, if you're looking to add some international exposure to your portfolio, I've found 2 exotic ETFs I think merit consideration.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE)

Don't let this acronym-replete name dissuade you. IVE tracks a basket of shares from Europe, Australia and the Far East (EAFE). Most of the international investing that Aussies tend to participate in revolves around the United States. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I do think that America has its own set of unique challenges right now. Considering this, a bit of international diversification might not go astray in our portfolios.

IVE has its largest exposure (26% of the portfolio) to Japan with shares like Toyota. But the United Kingdom (at 14%), France (at 10.5%), Switzerland (10.2%) and Germany (9%) also feature heavily. Our own ASX shares make up around 6.4% of this ETF. Apart from Toyota, other companies that feature in IVE's top 10 list include Nestle, Roche, Novartis, SAP and LVMH.

IVE has a management fee of 0.31% per annum, which I think is reasonable considering the geographical diversification it brings to the table.

ETFS Morningstar Global Technology ETF (ASX: TECH)

This tech-focused ETF (hence the ticker symbol) is one of my favourite exotic ETFs on the ASX. It aims to track a basket of tech-related companies that are selected by the reputable Morningstar group. It's dominated by US companies (with 85.5% of the portfolio), but also features Japan, Germany and France in its exposures. TECH's holdings are made up of both large and small tech companies. Microsoft is in the top 10, as is Fortinet, Splunk, ServiceNow and Intel.

Morningstar regularly updates and rebalances this index. Thus, you can have reasonable confidence that any company that stumbles or goes off the rails will be replaced with another up-and-comer. If you feel your portfolio doesn't have sufficient exposure to the global technology sector, then TECH is a great way to easily remedy this situation. This ETF has a management fee of 0.45% per annum, which isn't on the cheap side. However, since TECH has returned an average of 25.15% per annum over the past 3 years, personally I would consider this fee 'worth it'.

The post 2 exotic ETFs for your ASX portfolio appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Here are 2 ASX ETFs that provide cheap, easy diversification in one stock.

Vanguard International Shares Index Fund (ASX: VGS)

This ETF is run by the Vanguard group, who are famous for their rock-bottom fees. VGS tracks the MSCI World ex-Australia index, which basically follows the largest companies in the world outside Australia. It currently has over 1,600 underlying holdings, so you can be assured of some serious diversification. Some of VGS's top holdings include Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Nestle and Exxon Mobil. VGS is weighted 64% to the USA (reflecting that most of the largest companies are American) but also has exposure to the UK, Japan, France and Canada. This ETF charges a management fee of 0.18%, which is a pretty small price to pay for such broad investments.

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (ASX: IVE)

This ETF is run by BlackRock, who is the largest asset management company in the world. IVE tracks a broad range of companies from Europe, Australia and the Far East (mainly Japan) – hence the EAFE name. If you are after a bit more of a balanced index sot so heavy on North American companies, IVE is a good alternative to VGS. IVE's current top holdings include Royal Dutch Shell, Toyota, HSBC Bank and Swiss healthcare giant Roche Holdings as well as our own Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA). IVE charges a management fee of 0.31%, also very cheap considering this exotic range of companies.

Foolish Takeaway

ETFs can be a very useful tool to give your portfolio some easy diversification away from ASX stocks in one share. Both VGS and IVE would fill this role very handily, while not charging you a fortune for doing so. If you are overweight on ASX shares, and looking for some international spice, both of these picks would be good options to have a look at in my opinion.

The post 2 cheap ASX ETFs for international diversification appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In our regular looks at the ASX's most shorted companies, I also come across companies with trifling amounts of short interest. Here are 10 of the least short-sold shares on the ASX:

Aspen Group Limited (ASX: APZ) – 1 share short-sold

Afterpay Touch Limited (ASX: APT) (AFTERPAY T FPO on Google Finance) – 999 shares short-sold

Class Ltd (ASX: CL1) – 1,083 shares short-sold

Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR) – 1,989 shares short-sold

Integral Diagnostics Ltd (ASX: IDX) – 1 share short-sold

IVE Group Ltd (ASX: IGL) – 56 shares short-sold

Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) – 1,400 shares short-sold

RXP Services Ltd (ASX: RXP) – 303 shares short-sold

Vanguard Australian Shares High Yield ETF (ASX: VHY) – 5 units short-sold

WAM Leaders Ltd (ASX: WLE) – 310 shares short-sold

This data is a few days old and is not necessarily correct, as it depends on sellers making reports to ASIC. The figures above are generally quite tiny, less than $1000 in many cases.

However, it is interesting to note that some companies that might have stronger short interest do not, while some unusual targets that you wouldn't expect to be short-sold, are. WAM Leaders and the Vanguard High Yield ETF could be targets for Australian economy bears, given that these companies hold meaningful amounts of bank and infrastructure shares.

It is also surprising to see that Lovisa doesn't have greater short interest, given the apparent low barriers to entry and low price of the company's products. I expect that Afterpay Touch could also see increasing interest from short-sellers over time, especially as more data is collected about the performance of borrowers using the Afterpay system.

The post The 10 least short-sold shares on the ASX appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.