MutualFundWire.com: WisdomTree ETF Eyes International Equities

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Tuesday, January 5, 2010

WisdomTree ETF Eyes International Equities

WisdomTree added another internationally-focused fund to its ETF menu on Monday with the debut of its International Hedged Equity ETF (HEDJ), rounding out its family of funds at 52.

The latest addition to the New York City-based ETF sponsor and index developer's ETF lineup, which tracks the performance of the WisdomTree DEFA International Hedged Equity Index, aims to provide international equity exposure while offsetting risks associated with currency movements. Specifically, the fund will provide exposure to equity securities in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East but still “neutralize currency movements.” According to the SEC filing, revised December 28, the index currently includes a relatively large percentage of companies based in France and the United Kingdom.

The ETF is being offered at 58 basis points and is sub-advised by Mellon Capital Management, whose Equity IndexStrategies Portfolio management team will oversee the fund.

“Traditionally when you invest in international markets you are taking on the currency exposure of those countries,” stated Bruce Lavine, WisdomTree's president and chief operating officer. “This currency exposure can be a significant component of your return: in a weak dollar environment foreign currencies can bolster returns while in a stronger dollar environment the opposite is true. Now through HEDJ, investors essentially have a choice of investing in foreign equities with or without currency exposure.”

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is the investment adviser to the Fund. WisdomTree Investments is the parent company of WisdomTree Asset Management.

Company Press Release

*WisdomTree Launches International Hedged Equity ETF (HEDJ)

* /First ETF to provide international equity exposure while neutralizing currency movement/ New York, NY – (BUSINESS WIRE) – January 4, 2009 – WisdomTree (Pink Sheets: WSDT - News), a leading ETF sponsor and index developer, announced today the launch of the WisdomTree International Hedged Equity Fund (HEDJ).

HEDJ is designed to provide exposure to the equity securities in Europe, Australasia, and the Far East, while at the same time neutralizing currency movements in these regions versus the U.S. dollar.

“Traditionally when you invest in international markets you are taking on the currency exposure of those countries,” said Bruce Lavine, WisdomTree President & COO. “This currency exposure can be a significant component of your return: in a weak dollar environment foreign currencies can bolster returns while in a stronger dollar environment the opposite is true. Now through HEDJ, investors essentially have a choice of investing in foreign equities with or without currency exposure.”

*About WisdomTree

* *WisdomTree® *is a leading ETF sponsor and innovative index developer using its own fundamentally weighted index methodology. WisdomTree also licenses its indexes to third parties for proprietary products and offers a platform to promote the use of WisdomTree ETFs in 401(k) plans. Approximately $6.5 billion in assets currently are managed by WisdomTree or are managed against WisdomTree Indexes by third parties under license from WisdomTree. For more information, please visit www.wisdomtree.com or www.wisdomtree401k.com. WisdomTree is the marketing name for WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. and WisdomTree Retirement Services, Inc.

WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc. is a registered investment advisor and is the investment advisor to the WisdomTree Trust and the WisdomTree ETFs. The WisdomTree Trust is a registered open-end investment company. Each WisdomTree ETF is a series of the WisdomTree Trust. WisdomTree Retirement Services, Inc. supports the use of the WisdomTree ETFs in retirement plans by financial professionals.