Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
ACWI vs QUAL: how they differ
ACWI and QUAL hold 30% of their weight in the same names, and ACWI returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI ACWI ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and QUAL hold 30% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ACWI | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION | 4.89% | 6.52% |
| APPLE INC. | 4.02% | 6.28% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION | 2.90% | 5.05% |
| ALPHABET INC. | 2.26% | 2.54% |
| ALPHABET INC. | 1.87% | 2.12% |
| META PLATFORMS, INC. | 1.34% | 3.50% |
| ELI LILLY AND COMPANY | 0.76% | 2.92% |
| BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. | 0.66% | 2.12% |
| WALMART INC. | 0.58% | 1.23% |
| JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 0.56% | 1.92% |
| VISA INC. | 0.56% | 3.09% |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION | 0.45% | 1.31% |
| Only in ACWI | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| AMAZON.COM, INC. 2.58% | |
| BROADCOM INC. 1.90% | |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Compa 1.73% | |
| TESLA, INC. 1.09% | |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. 0.86% | |
| EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION 0.66% | |
| MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. 0.59% | |
| ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. 0.58% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026.
| ACWI iShares MSCI ACWI ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI ACWI | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 61.4% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 2307 | 121 |
ACWI in plain words
ACWI is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI ACWI. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 61% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2307 positions, with the top ten at 24.6%.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +19.1% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so ACWI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or QUAL?
- ACWI charges 0.32% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do ACWI and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 61% of ACWI and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 30% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ACWI against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ACWI-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources