ETF Evaluator:
VanEck Real Assets ETF (RAAX)
Follow This ETF
(as of Sep 04)
Best Performing in Global Moderate Allocation Over the Last Year
| 28.5% | VanEck Real Assets ETF (RAAX) |
| 28.1% | State Street® Multi-Asset Real Ret ETF (RLY) |
| 18.7% | Cambria Global Asset Allocation ETF (GAA) |
| 17.1% | Global Moderate Allocation () |
| 16.4% | JPMorgan Flexible Income ETF (JFLI) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
VanEck Real Assets ETF Overview
VanEck Real Assets ETF (RAAX) is an actively managed Allocation Global Moderate Allocation exchange-traded fund (ETF). VanEck launched the ETF in 2018.
The investment seeks long-term total return.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its total assets in exchange traded products that provide exposure to real assets. It seeks to maximize “real returns” while seeking to reduce downside risk during sustained market declines. “Real returns” are defined as total returns adjusted for the effects of inflation. It is non-diversified.
About VanEck Real Assets ETF (RAAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.99 years: David Schassler (2018) and John Lau (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg Commodity TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. VanEck Real Assets ETF has 116 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 54.9% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
VanEck Real Assets ETF is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation ETF group. VanEck Real Assets ETF has 13.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 41.9% There is 13.6% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.5% (0.5% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). VanEck Real Assets ETF has 17.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $629 million average for the Global Moderate Allocation category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
RAAX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The VanEck Real Assets ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Global Moderate Allocation category. VanEck Real Assets ETF has an expense ratio of 0.55%, which is 31% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. VanEck Real Assets ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 11%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 39% for the Global Moderate Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, VanEck Real Assets ETF returned 4.9%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Global Moderate Allocation category had an average return of 2.6%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
VanEck Real Assets ETF has a trailing yield of 1.98%, which is below the 4.38% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
VanEck Real Assets ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 18.3%, 7.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 28.5% over the past year (grade of A), 19.7% over the past three years (grade of A) and 13.8% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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RAAX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| RAAX Return (NAV) | 4.9% | 0.4% | 28.5% | 19.7% | 13.8% | na |
| RAAX Return (Price) | 4.5% | 0.1% | 28.3% | 19.7% | 13.8% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.371% | 0.268% | 0.191% | -0.049% | 0.028% | na |
| Global Moderate Allocation Avg | 2.6% | 1.7% | 17.1% | 14.4% | 7.9% | 7.1% |
| RAAX Grade (NAV) | A | F | A | A | A | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 2.3% | -1.3% | 11.5% | 5.3% | 5.9% | na |
| RAAX Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.9% | 1.0% | 1.4% | na |
RAAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| RAAX Return (NAV) | 18.3% | 27.2% | 12.4% | 6.1% | 1.8% | 21.5% | -8.3% | 6.3% | na | na | na |
| RAAX Return (Price) | 18.1% | 26.8% | 12.5% | 6.7% | 1.5% | 21.6% | -8.3% | 6.1% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.009% | -0.015% | 0.007% | 0.103% | -0.160% | 0.003% | -0.002% | -2.4% | na | na | na |
| Global Moderate Allocation Avg | 10.9% | 17.1% | 9.0% | 9.8% | -8.2% | 16.7% | 0.1% | 16.9% | -7.9% | 12.9% | 10.8% |
| RAAX Grade (NAV) | A | A | A | F | A | B | D | F | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 7.4% | 10.1% | 3.4% | -3.7% | 10.0% | 4.7% | -8.4% | -10.6% | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.63 |
| R-Squared: | 27% |
| Standard Deviation: | 11.2% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.23 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.92 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 2.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,343 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,343 Mil |
| Turnover: | 11.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.55% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) (1970) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Schassler David (2018), Lau John (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 8/29/26)
| # of Holdings: | 116 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 54.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 13.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 41.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 13.6% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.5% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 26.9% |
| Cash: | 17.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | VanEck |
| Phone Number: | 800-826-2333 |
| Website: | www.marketvectorsetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | April 9, 2018 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.55% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.79% |
