BBAX vs FLAX

BBAXBJPMorgan BetaBuilders Developed Asia Pacific ex-Japan ETF

FLAXBFranklin FTSE Asia ex Japan ETF

In short

BBAX Developed Asia Pacific with Japan deliberately cut out: Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand in one ticket. The region's other half, indexed, at a price below the typical international blend fund.

FLAX One line item for Asia's markets with Japan left out: roughly 1,600 stocks at 0.19% a year, less than half the median fee among index-tracking peers. Broad, cheap, and thin to trade.

Stated mandate

BBAX The fund is designed to provide indexed exposure to developed Asian Pacific equity markets while excluding Japan.

FLAX The Fund seeks investment results that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the performance of the FTSE Asia ex Japan RIC Capped Index.

Why people hold it

• BBAX Costs 0.19% a year, under the roughly 0.28% median for its international blend peer group.
• Japan is excluded by design, so it stacks next to a separate Japan holding without overlap. It tracks a Morningstar developed Asia Pacific ex-Japan index.jpmorgan.com
• Plain index plumbing since 2018: about 90 stocks across four markets, quarterly distributions, and a multi-billion-dollar asset base behind it.

• FLAX 0.19% a year against a 0.45% median for index-tracking peers. Less than half the going rate for the same passive job.
• About 1,600 holdings across Asia ex Japan. The index is a RIC-capped version, which limits how large any single position can grow.
• Plain passive mandate since 2018: match the FTSE Asia ex Japan RIC Capped Index before fees and expenses. No manager discretion, no style drift.

Worth knowing

• BBAX Four markets and roughly 90 names. This is a regional slice, not a diversified international core.
• Broad ex-US funds cost less for far wider coverage: VEU at 0.04% and IXUS at 0.07%, both including Japan.
• Trading is moderate rather than heavy, so spreads deserve a look at the open and close. It sits in the lower half of its peer group overall.

• FLAX Thinly traded, so on any single trip in or out the bid-ask spread can cost more than the annual fee. Limit orders are the usual tool.
• Cash comes annually or semiannually, not monthly. Income arrives in lumps.
• One region, Japan excluded. This is a regional equity slice that tracks Asian markets, not a global core holding.

Full BBAX profile⁠

Full FLAX profile⁠