Harvard’s endowment loves exchange traded funds (ETFs) – it’s true. In its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we’re privy to which ETFs in particular it loves, and which ETFs, not so much.
As the richest university in the United States, Harvard’s endowment is one of the most closely monitored of all endowments. In its most recent quarter, the endowment was caught up in the general market downturn, reports Max Magee for Tickerspy. Here’s a glimpse at what the endowment is doing with certain ETFs these days:
- iShares MSCI FTSE Xinhua China 25 Index (NYSEArca: FXI): FXI was previously the endowment’s largest U.S. listed equity holding; Harvard trimmed its stake in this fund in the first quarter.
Other ETFs that Harvard scaled back its exposure to include:
- iShares MSCI Brazil Index (NYSEArca: EWZ)
- iShares MSCI South Korea Index (NYSEArca: EWY)
- iShares MSCI Mexico Investable Market Index (NYSEArca: EWW)
- iShares MSCI South Africa Index (NYSEArca: EZA)
- iPath MSCI India Index ETN (NYSEArca: INP)
- iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (NYSEArca: EEM)
The fourth quarter was much kinder to the university’s endowment, which showed 26% growth largely because of its heavy exposure to international markets. MIT and Yale also use ETFs in their endowments. [Harvard Sees Returns in ETFs.]
For more stories about global ETFs, visit our Global ETF category.
Tisha Guerrero contributed to this article.
The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product.