What happened
According to an SEC filing dated May 04, 2026, J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its position in iShares Trust - iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF (AAXJ +0.52%)by 27,540 shares over the first quarter. The quarter-end value of the holding rose by $5.33 million, a figure that includes both the purchase and market price changes.
What else to know
J.Safra Asset Management Corp increased its holdings, resulting in a post-trade position representing 4.52% of its 13F assets under management (AUM).
Top holdings after the filing:
- NASDAQ: QQQ: $216.05 million (11.6% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: XLK: $186.63 million (10.1% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: IWF: $137.56 million (7.4% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: XLF: $129.31 million (7.0% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: XLE: $98.94 million (5.3% of AUM)
As of May 1, 2026, shares were priced at $110.14, up 52.0% over one year, outperforming the S&P 500 by 23.03 percentage points.
ETF overview
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| AUM | 3.84 billion |
| Price (as of market close 2026-05-01) | $110.14 |
| Dividend yield | 1.54% |
| 1-year total return | 54.81% |
ETF snapshot
The iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF offers investors access to a broad selection of Asian equities, excluding Japan, through a single, liquid vehicle. The fund's strategy leverages index replication to provide efficient exposure to key growth markets in the region.
The ETF tracks the MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index, providing broad exposure to Asian equities excluding Japan with a passive investment strategy. It holds a diversified portfolio of large- and mid-cap stocks across multiple Asian markets, with sector and country weights reflecting the underlying index composition.
The iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF operates as an exchange-traded fund with a transparent structure and a competitive expense ratio, designed for institutional and retail investors seeking regional diversification.
What this transaction means for investors
The iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF gives investors targeted exposure to large- and mid-cap Asian companies outside Japan. That makes AAXJ different from a broad international fund: it is a regional allocation built around Asia ex-Japan, with both developed and emerging markets represented in the underlying index.
In a portfolio already tilted toward U.S. stocks, AAXJ adds exposure to markets driven by different policy, currency, technology, and domestic-growth trends. The fund should not be treated as a simple international diversifier, because its performance depends heavily on which parts of Asia are leading and on how dollar-based returns are affected by local currencies.
AAXJ may be best used as a targeted regional position rather than a complete overseas allocation. Excluding Japan gives the fund a different profile from broad Asia or developed-market ETFs, leaving it more tied to China-linked markets, Asian technology supply chains, and growth cycles across the rest of the region. That aspect can make the ETF useful for investors seeking Asia ex-Japan exposure, but it also means performance can move differently from broader global equity funds.
