The MSCI EAFE (pronounced “eef’ ah”) Index is a stock market index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets outside of the U.S. & Canada. It is maintained by MSCI Barra,[1] a provider of investment decision support tools; the MSCI EAFE acronym stands for Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe, Australasia, and Far East.
The index is market-capitalization weighted (meaning that the weight of securities is based on their respective market capitalizations). It first ranks each stock in the investable universe from largest to smallest by market capitalization. The largest 70% will comprise the MSCI EAFE Large Cap (new index), the largest 85% will comprise the MSCI EAFE Standard, and the largest 99% will comprise the MSCI Investable Market index (“IMI”). The 71st to 85th percentiles represent the MSCI EAFE Mid Cap, and the 85th to 99th percentiles represent the MSCI EAFE Small Cap.
The index includes a selection of stocks from 22 developed markets, but excludes those from the U.S. and Canada. The index has been calculated since 31 December 1969, making it the oldest truly international stock index. It is probably the most common benchmark for foreign stock funds.
Many managers of North American international stock funds use the EAFE as a performance benchmark. For example, Thrift Savings Plan's international fund (I Fund) tracks the net version of this index.
The iShares MSCI EAFE Index fund (NYSE: EFA) is based on this index. It is the fourth-largest ETF in the world.
Other options to invest in the EAFE include the Vanguard Developed Markets Index mutual fund (Investor Shares (VDMIX)), and the Vanguard Europe Pacific ETF (NYSE: VEA).