UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT
OF
REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

 

 

 

Annual Report | October 31, 2017

Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund

 

Vanguard’s Principles for Investing Success

We want to give you the best chance of investment success. These principles, grounded in Vanguard’s research and experience, can put you on the right path.

Goals. Create clear, appropriate investment goals.

Balance. Develop a suitable asset allocation using broadly diversified funds.

Cost. Minimize cost.

Discipline. Maintain perspective and long-term discipline.

A single theme unites these principles: Focus on the things you can control.

We believe there is no wiser course for any investor.

 

Please note: The opinions expressed in this report are just that—informed opinions. They should not be considered promises
or advice. Also, please keep in mind that the information and opinions cover the period through the date on the front of this
report. Of course, the risks of investing in your fund are spelled out in the prospectus.
See the Glossary for definitions of investment terms used in this report.
About the cover: Nautical images have been part of Vanguard’s rich heritage since its start in 1975. For an
incoming ship, a lighthouse offers a beacon and safe path to shore. You can similarly depend on Vanguard to put
you first––and light the way––as you strive to meet your financial goals. Our client focus and low costs,
stemming from our unique ownership structure, assure that your interests are paramount.

 

Your Fund’s Performance at a Glance

• Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund returned a little more than 1% for the 12 months ended October 31, 2017. That performance was in line with the 1.43% return of its benchmark index after taking expenses into account, but behind the 3.50% average return of its peers.

• Inflation readings didn’t move much and monetary policy remained largely accommodative even as some central banks turned a little more hawkish. That modest shift in stance and more synchronized growth reduced investor interest in bonds.

• Among the largest constituents of the index, a number of European countries outperformed, including Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and France. Canada, Australia, and South Korea lagged, as did the fund’s largest holding, Japan.

• Bonds with maturities of ten years or less generally returned more than those with longer maturities. By credit quality, lower-rated investment-grade bonds did best overall.

International Income Funds Average: Derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company.

Admiral Shares carry lower expenses and are available to investors who meet certain account-balance requirements. Institutional Shares
are available to certain institutional investors who meet specific administrative, service, and account-size criteria. The Vanguard ETF®
Shares shown are traded on the NYSE Arca exchange and are available only through brokers. The table provides ETF returns based on
both the NYSE Arca market price and the net asset value for a share. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,879,964; 7,337,138; 7,720,749; 7,925,573;
8,090,646; and 8,417,623. The Vanguard ETF® Shares shown are traded on the Nasdaq exchange and are available only through brokers.
The table provides ETF returns based on both the Nasdaq market price and the net asset value for a share. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,879,964;
7,337,138; 7,720,749; 7,925,573; 8,090,646; and 8,417,623.

For the ETF Shares, the market price is determined by the midpoint of the bid-offer spread as of the closing time of the New York Stock
Exchange (generally 4 p.m., Eastern time). The net asset value is also determined as of the NYSE closing time. For more information about
how the ETF Shares' market prices have compared with their net asset value, visit vanguard.com, select your ETF, and then select the
Price and Performance tab. The ETF premium/discount analysis there shows the percentages of days on which the ETF Shares' market
price was above or below the NAV.

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The figures shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at vanguard.com/performance.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost.

The fund expense ratios shown are from the prospectus dated February 23, 2017, and represent estimated costs for the current fiscal year.
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017, the fund’s expense ratios were 0.13% for Investor Shares, 0.11% for ETF Shares, 0.11% for
Admiral Shares, and 0.07% for Institutional Shares. The peer-group expense ratio is derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson
Reuters Company, and captures information through year-end 2016.

Peer group: International Income Funds.

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Chairman’s Perspective

Bill McNabb
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Shareholder,

When I find outstanding products or services, I’m likely to be loyal to them. And my loyalty usually gets rewarded as I experience consistently high quality––whether it’s from a favorite restaurant or a favorite author. What’s past, in most cases, is prologue.

As tempting as it is to apply this rationale to investing—for example, if technology stocks have done well this year, they’re bound to do well the next—it’s not all that helpful and can actually be counterproductive. You’ve heard it many times: Past performance cannot be used to predict future returns.

Taking a new approach

The caution about past performance is so familiar that investors are apt to treat it as mere background noise. That’s why past-performance bias merited a fresh look from Vanguard’s Investment Strategy Group, which tackled the issue last year in a research paper. (I encourage you to read the full paper, Reframing Investor Choices: Right Mindset, Wrong Market, at vanguard.com/research.)

Our strategists were hardly the first to delve into the topic, but they approached it in a new way. They started with the premise that it’s perfectly understandable for investors to lean heavily on past performance, because that works well in many areas of life. After all, as the paper describes, in lots of other industries and realms, performance from one time period

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to another is extremely consistent. The researchers looked at everything from cars to fine restaurants to heart surgeons, and in all these examples, past performance was a good predictor of later outcomes.

It’s different with investing

In a nutshell, our brains typically are rewarded and our satisfaction is boosted when we use past performance as a guide for navigating decisions, big and small. But when applied to investing, this method breaks down.

Why? Among other reasons, top-performing asset classes one year tend not to repeat as leaders the next. Strong past performance leads to higher valuations, making an investment, all else being equal, less attractive in the future. The data are quite overwhelming in this regard.

By allowing past performance to inform their decisions, individual and institutional investors inadvertently end up as momentum investors, putting them on a treadmill of buying high and selling low.

A path to better decision-making

Of course, many investors are already aware of the pitfalls of projecting past performance into the future. The real question is, what can we all do about it? What does it take to go from having a general awareness to actually changing our behavior?

 

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Acknowledging that such change isn’t easy, our strategists offered a few ideas for reframing how investors approach their decisions. These recommendations were targeted at advisors working with clients, but they apply equally to individuals and institutions:

• Educate yourself. The more investors understand why a method that works so well in other areas of life—relying on past performance to drive decisions—doesn’t carry over to investing, the better off they’ll be.

• Be disciplined. The bias toward past performance is ingrained in everybody, professionals included, and shifting away from it can be difficult. But the long-term benefits make the effort worthwhile.

• Focus on what you can control. It’s always most constructive for investors to concentrate on what’s actually within their control, such as setting goals, following long-term portfolio construction principles, selecting low-cost investments, and rebalancing periodically.

Here’s to keeping the past in the rearview mirror. And, as always, thank you for investing with Vanguard.

Sincerely,

F. William McNabb III
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
November 14, 2017

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The agency and mortgage-backed securities sectors may include
issues from government-sponsored enterprises; such issues are
generally not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S.
government.

These measures show the degree and timing of the fund’s fluctuations compared with the index over 36 months.

Credit-quality ratings are obtained from Barclays and are from
Moody's, Fitch, and S&P. When ratings from all three agencies are
used, the median rating is shown. When ratings from two of the
agencies are used, the lower rating for each issue is shown. "Not
Rated" is used to classify securities for which a rating is not
available. For more information about these ratings, see the
Glossary entry for Credit Quality.

 

1 The expense ratios shown are from the prospectus dated February 23, 2017, and represent estimated costs for the current fiscal year.
For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017, the expense ratios were 0.13% for Investor Shares, 0.11% for ETF Shares, 0.11% for Admiral
Shares, and 0.07% for Institutional Shares.

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Total International Bond Index Fund

Investment Focus

Allocation by Region (% of portfolio)

 

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Total International Bond Index Fund

Performance Summary

All of the returns in this report represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results that may be achieved by the fund. (Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data cited. For performance data current to the most recent month-end, visit our website at vanguard.com/performance.) Note, too, that both investment returns and principal value can fluctuate widely, so an investor’s shares, when sold, could be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or on the sale of fund shares.

Cumulative Performance: May 31, 2013, Through October 31, 2017
Initial Investment of $10,000

 
 

 

International Income Funds Average: Derived from data provided by Lipper, a Thomson Reuters Company.
"Since Inception" performance is calculated from the Investor Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standards.

"Since Inception" performance is calculated from the ETF Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standard.

See Financial Highlights for dividend and capital gains information.

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"Since Inception" performance is calculated from the Admiral Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standard.

"Since Inception" performance is calculated from the Institutional Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standard.

"Since Inception" performance is calculated from the ETF Shares’ inception date for both the fund and its comparative standard.

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Average Annual Total Returns: Periods Ended September 30, 2017
This table presents returns through the latest calendar quarter—rather than through the end of the fiscal period.
Securities and Exchange Commission rules require that we provide this information.

 

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Total International Bond Index Fund

Financial Statements

Statement of Net Assets
As of October 31, 2017

The fund reports a complete list of its holdings in regulatory filings four times in each fiscal year, at the quarter-ends. For the second and fourth fiscal quarters, the lists appear in the fund’s semiannual and annual reports to shareholders. For the first and third fiscal quarters, the fund files the lists with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Form N-Q. Shareholders can look up the fund’s Forms N-Q on the SEC’s website at sec.gov. Forms N-Q may also be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room (see the back cover of this report for further information).

 

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