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Is Vident International Equity Strategy ETF (VIDI) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Vident International Equity Strategy ETF (VIDI - Free Report) was launched on 10/29/2013, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Foreign Large Value ETF category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is sponsored by Vident Financial. It has amassed assets over $422.94 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Foreign Large Value ETF. VIDI, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Vident International Equity Index.

The Vident Core International Equity Index is an international equity index that combines principles-based country and securities selection with sophisticated risk management. The index balances risk across developed and emerging economies and emphasizes those with favorable conditions for growth.

Cost & Other Expenses

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.61% for this ETF, which makes it one of the more expensive products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 3.94%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Looking at individual holdings, Kioxia Holdings Corp (285A) accounts for about 1.92% of total assets, followed by Oceanagold Corp (OGC) and Mobvista Inc.

The top 10 holdings account for about 8.75% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 8.19% so far this year and is up about 48.21% in the last one year (as of 01/26/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $23.03 and $36.47

The fund has a beta of 0.75 and standard deviation of 14.18% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VIDI a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 250 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Vident International Equity Strategy ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Foreign Large Value ETF segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF (VYMI) tracks FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index and the Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF (FNDF) tracks Russell RAFI Developed ex US Large Co. Index (Net). Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF has $15.54 billion in assets, Schwab Fundamental International Equity ETF has $20.75 billion. VYMI has an expense ratio of 0.17% and FNDF changes 0.25%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Foreign Large Value ETF

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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