Vanguard European and Pacific Stock Index Funds Transition to New FTSE Index

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanguard announced that the $20 billion Vanguard European Stock Index Fund and the $5 billion Vanguard Pacific Stock Index Fund will begin seeking to track new FTSE indexes on October 1, 2015.

The funds will transition from FTSE benchmarks containing large- and mid-cap stocks to broader FTSE benchmarks that include large-, mid-, and small-cap stocks. The European Stock Index Fund will begin tracking the FTSE Developed Europe All Cap Index and the Pacific Stock Index Fund will begin to track the FTSE Developed Asia Pacific All Cap Index. Adding small-cap exposure to the funds moves investors closer to market-cap weightings and fuller diversification benefits.

The benchmark changes include all share classes of the two funds, including their ETF share classes, FTSE Europe ETF (VGK) and FTSE Pacific ETF (VPL).

The transition is part of the changes to four international equity index funds announced by Vanguard in June 2015.

About Vanguard
Vanguard is one of the world's largest investment management companies. As of August 31, 2015, Vanguard managed $3.2 trillion in global assets, including $455 billion in ETF assets. The firm, headquartered in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, offers 302 funds to its more than 20 million investors worldwide. For more information, visit vanguard.com.

All asset figures are as of August 31, 2015, unless otherwise noted. Source: Vanguard

For more information on Vanguard funds, visit vanguard.com, or call 800-662-7447 to obtain a prospectus. Visit our website, call 800-662-7447, or contact your broker to obtain a prospectus for Vanguard ETF Shares. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other important information are contained in the prospectus; read and consider it carefully before investing.

All investments are subject to risk, including the possible loss of the money you invest. Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. Prices of mid- and small-cap stocks often fluctuate more than those of large-company stocks.

Investments in stocks issued by non-U.S. companies are subject to risks including country/regional risk and currency risk. These risks are especially high in emerging markets, in particular, in countries where market controls may impede investment.

Vanguard ETF Shares are not redeemable with the issuing Fund other than in very large aggregations worth millions of dollars. Instead, investors must buy and sell Vanguard ETF Shares in the secondary market and hold those shares in a brokerage account. In doing so, the investor may incur brokerage commissions and may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling.

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SOURCE Vanguard