Fund Evaluator:
Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I (TAISX)
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Best Performing in Foreign Small/Mid Blend Over the Last Year
| 27.3% | Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I (TAISX) |
| 27.2% | Goldman Sachs Intl Sm Cp Insghts Inv (GIRLX) |
| 18.6% | Vanguard FTSE All-Wld ex-US SmCp Idx Adm (VFSAX) |
| 14.3% | Fidelity Advisor Intl Small Cap Z (FIQIX) |
| 14.2% | Fidelity International Small Cap (FISMX) |
Fund Details
Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I Overview
Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I (TAISX) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Small/Mid Blend fund. Nuveen launched the fund in 2016.
The investment seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its assets in small-cap equity securities of foreign issuers. A "small-cap" equity security is a security within the capitalization range of the companies included in the fund's benchmark index, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap® Index, at the time of purchase. The fund may invest in equity securities of small companies across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations. It may invest in emerging markets to varying degrees, depending on stock-specific opportunities.
About Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I (TAISX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.58 years: Max Kozlov (2020), Yuchang Huang (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI ACWI Ex USA Small NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I has 462 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 13.4% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity fund group. Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I has 98.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.0%. There is 98.7% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I has 0.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $5 million in total assets, which is below the $543 million average for the Foreign Small/Mid Blend 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.
TAISX 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 Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category. Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I has an expense ratio of 0.82%, which is 28% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I has a portfolio turnover rate of 112%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 63% for the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I returned -2.5%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category had an average return of -2.4%. 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 funds in that category.
Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I has a trailing yield of 3.90%, which is above the 2.71% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains 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.
Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq I Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 16.6%, 5.5 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 27.3% over the past year (grade of A), 21.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 9.4% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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TAISX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| TAISX Return (NAV) | -2.5% | 11.6% | 27.3% | 21.8% | 9.4% | na |
| TAISX Grade | C | B | A | A | A | na |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | 1.3% | 9.8% | 5.6% | 2.9% | na |
| Foreign Small/Mid Blend Avg | -2.4% | 10.3% | 17.5% | 16.2% | 6.5% | 8.9% |
| TAISX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.6% | 1.6% | 1.6% | na |
TAISX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| TAISX Return (NAV) | 16.6% | 35.7% | 5.0% | 16.8% | -18.3% | 11.6% | 5.8% | 20.7% | -23.3% | 34.8% | na |
| TAISX Grade | B | B | B | A | B | D | F | D | F | B | na |
| +/- Category | 5.5% | 5.6% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 0.9% | -0.6% | -4.9% | -1.4% | -3.9% | 1.2% | na |
| Foreign Small/Mid Blend Avg | 11.1% | 30.0% | 2.3% | 15.0% | -19.1% | 12.2% | 10.8% | 22.2% | -19.4% | 33.6% | 2.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 14.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.22 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (63% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.01 |
| R-Squared: | 88% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 3.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1464 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 6 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 112% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Kozlov Max (2020), Huang Yuchang (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 4/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 462 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 13.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 98.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 1.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 98.7% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.3% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Nuveen |
| Phone Number: | 800-842-2252 |
| Website: | www.tiaa.org |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 9, 2016 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $100,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.82% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.14% |
| Share Class: | Nuveen Quant Intl Small Cap Eq R6 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
