ETFdb Realtime Rating & Analyst Report for EFA
EFA is a passive ETF that seeks to replicate the MSCI EAFE Index. The index measures the performance of equity markets in European, Australasian, and Far Eastern markets.
| ETFdb Category | Expense Ratio | Inception Date | Issuer | Structure | YTD Return * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign Large Cap Equities | 0.35% | 2001-08-14 | iShares | ETF | -1.90% |
* As of 05-23-2012
EFA Realtime Rating: By Metric
| Metric | Metric Realtime Rating | A+ Metric Rated ETF |
|---|---|---|
| Liquidity | A+ | EFA |
| Expenses | A- | VEA |
| Performance | B+ | PID |
| Volatility | B | PID |
| Dividend | B+ | DWX |
| Concentration | A | SCHF |
The first adjacent table gives investors an individual Realtime Rating for EFA on several different metrics, including liquidity, expenses, performance, volatility, dividend, and concentration of holdings. The "A+ Metric Rated ETF" field, available to ETFdb Pro members, shows the ETF in the Foreign Large Cap Equities ETFdb Category with the highest Metric Realtime Rating for each individual field.
EFA Realtime Rating: Overall
| ETFdb Rating Type | Overall Rating | A+ Overall Rated ETF |
|---|---|---|
| Realtime Rating (Overall) | A | VEA |
The second table shows the overall Realtime Rating for EFA, as well as the A+ Overall Rated ETF in EFA's Category. To view information on how the ETFdb Realtime Ratings work, click here.
ETFdb Analyst Report for EFA
Asset Allocation
This ETF offers exposure to the major developed markets outside of North America, including Western Europe, Japan, and Australia. As such, EFA is a cornerstone of many long-term portfolios, delivering access to an asset class that provides valuable geographic diversification to equity allocations. It should be noted that this fund is tilted heavily towards large cap stocks; the small cap focused SCZ can be an excellent complement to the mega caps in this fund to provide more balanced exposure. EFA offers unrivaled liquidity, but there are several alternatives that may be more appealing to certain investors. Rydex offers an equal-weighted EAFE ETF (EWEF), while PowerShares offers a RAFI-weighted option. But the biggest competition may be from Vanguard's VEA, which replicates the exact same index at a lower expense ratio and generally lower tracking error. That's a tough offer to beat, unless you have access to this ETF commission free or value liquidity (and related option liquidity) above all else; it's not surprising that EFA features much higher turnover, indicating a preference among more active traders.
EFA In-Depth
The following tables and charts contain in-depth metrics for EFA and compare it to similar peer ETFs within its ETFdb Category.
Expense Analysis
This section compares the cost efficiency of EFA to peers in the same ETFdb Category.
| EFA | ETF Average | ETF Wtd. Avgerage |
|---|---|---|
| 0.35% | 0.59% | 0.32% |
Comparative Analysis: Foreign Large Cap Equities ETFdb Category
| Lo | Average | Hi | EFA Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| VEA: 0.12% | 0.49% | FWDI: 1.12% | 10 of 34 |
Commission Free Trading in EFA
EFA is currently available for commission free trading on the following platforms: Fidelity. There are 13 other ETFs in the Foreign Large Cap Equities ETFdb Category that are also eligible for commission free trading: DBCN (E*TRADE), DBEF (E*TRADE), DOL (E*TRADE), DOO (E*TRADE), DTH (E*TRADE), DWM (E*TRADE), EFG (TD Ameritrade), EFV (TD Ameritrade), EWC (TD Ameritrade), HEDJ (E*TRADE), IDV (Fidelity), SCHF (Charles Schwab), VEA (TD Ameritrade, Vanguard).
Performance Analysis
This section shows how EFA has performed relative to its peer group ETFdb Category.
| EFA | Category Lo | Category Hi | EFA Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Week* | -0.96% | IDHB: -17.77% | EWC: 0.94% | 5 of 34 |
| 4 Week* | -9.21% | IDHB: -17.77% | XHMO: -3.80% | 20 of 34 |
| 13 Week* | -10.63% | XLBT: -15.42% | XHMO: -0.66% | 15 of 33 |
| 26 Week* | 5.32% | DBCN: -4.23% | IDHQ: 7.43% | 6 of 31 |
| YTD* | -1.90% | DWX: -7.16% | XHMO: 1.16% | 12 of 31 |
| 1 Year* | -15.64% | EIS: -29.13% | PID: -10.69% | 6 of 24 |
| 3 Year* | 15.46% | EIS: -0.06% | PID: 40.02% | 9 of 19 |
| 5 Year* | -31.02% | EFV: -40.24% | EWC: -6.34% | 7 of 11 |
* As of 05-23-2012
Volatility Analysis
This section shows how the volatility of EFA compares to the peer group ETFdb Category.
| EFA | Category Lo | Category Hi | EFA Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volatility: 5 Day* | 207.58% | FDT: 6.00% | IDV: 294.26% | 4 of 34 |
| Volatility: 20 Day* | 15.23% | EFAV: 12.18% | DBEF: 39.26% | 23 of 33 |
| Volatility: 50 Day* | 17.98% | EFAV: 13.70% | XLBT: 30.85% | 15 of 31 |
| Volatility: 200 Day* | 18.21% | PID: 13.56% | FWDI: 44.30% | 11 of 27 |
| Beta* | 1.42 | EFAV: 1.07 | DBCN: 2.74 | 13 of 32 |
| Standard Deviation* | 3.47% | PID: 0.62% | EIS: 4.91% | 5 of 24 |
* As of 05-23-2012
Technical Analysis
This section highlights technical strength metrics for EFA.
| Moving Averages * | Support & Resistance * | Williams & Rel. Strength * | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Day MA | $51.25 | Lower Bolinger (10Day) | $47.30 | Williams % (10) | 78.02 |
| 60 Day MA | $53.11 | Upper Bolinger (10Day) | $51.75 | Williams % (20) | 86.09 |
| MACD 15 Day | -1.80 | Lower Bolinger (30Day) | $48.14 | Rel. Strength (10) | 30 |
| MACD 100 Day | -4.25 | Upper Bolinger (30Day) | $55.53 | Rel. Strength (20) | 35 |
| Support Level | $48.03 | Rel. Strength (30) | 39 | ||
| Resistance Level | $48.87 | ||||
* As of 05-23-2012
Dividend & Valuation Analysis
This section shows how the dividend yield and P/E multiple of EFA compare to the peer group ETFdb Category.
| EFA | Category Lo | Category Hi | EFA Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Dividend Yield* | 3.47% | FCAN: 0.14% | DWX: 6.14% | 13 of 33 |
| P/E Ratio* | 10.53 | FWDI: n/a | PIZ: 13.38 | 5 of 25 |
* As of 05-23-2012
Concentration Analysis
This section compares how balanced and deep EFA is relative to the peer group ETFdb Category.
| EFA | Category Lo | Category Hi | EFA Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number Of Holdings** | 945 | DBEF: n/a | SCHF: 1077 | 32 of 34 |
| % Assets In Top 10** | 13.32% | DBEF: n/a | EIS: 68.04% | 11 of 34 |
**As of 2012-05-03
ETF X-Ray**
This section provides a look under the hood of EFA.
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**As of 2012-05-03
Alternative ETFs
Other ETFs in the Foreign Large Cap Equities ETFdb Category include:
| Type | Ticker | Expense Ratio | Assets | Avg. Daily Vol | YTD Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest | VEA | 0.12% | $7,869.0 M | 2,516,000 | -1.96% |
| Largest (AUM) | VEA | 0.12% | $7,869.0 M | 2,516,000 | -1.96% |
| Most Liquid (Volume) | VEA | 0.12% | $7,869.0 M | 2,516,000 | -1.96% |
| Top YTD Performer | XHMO | 0.25% | $4.8 M | 2,500 | 1.16% |
© 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
