Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
ACWI vs VEU: how they differ
ACWI and VEU hold 6% of their weight in the same names, and VEU returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI ACWI ETF and Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and VEU hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ACWI | VEU |
|---|---|---|
| ROYAL BANK OF CANADA | 0.25% | 0.65% |
| THE TORONTO-DOMINION BANK | 0.18% | 0.47% |
| Allianz SE | 0.17% | 0.45% |
| Siemens Energy AG | 0.17% | 0.41% |
| SHOPIFY INC. | 0.15% | 0.38% |
| UBS Group AG | 0.14% | 0.36% |
| Deutsche Telekom AG | 0.12% | 0.28% |
| BANK OF MONTREAL | 0.11% | 0.28% |
| CANADIAN IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE | 0.11% | 0.27% |
| GSK PLC | 0.10% | 0.27% |
| Zurich Insurance Group AG | 0.10% | 0.27% |
| CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES LIMITED | 0.10% | 0.25% |
| Only in ACWI | Only in VEU |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 4.89% | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 1.83% |
| APPLE INC. 4.02% | ASML Holding NV 1.45% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 2.90% | SK hynix Inc 1.24% |
| AMAZON.COM, INC. 2.58% | Tencent Holdings Ltd 0.97% |
| ALPHABET INC. 2.26% | HSBC Holdings PLC 0.81% |
| BROADCOM INC. 1.90% | Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 0.76% |
| ALPHABET INC. 1.87% | AstraZeneca PLC 0.73% |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Compa 1.73% | Novartis AG 0.73% |
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 | VEU Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI ACWI | FTSE All-World ex-US |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.1% | +22.9% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +1.6 pts | +5.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.04% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 61.4% | 0.0% |
| Holdings | 2307 | 3860 |
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%.
VEU in plain words
VEU is an index equity fund tracking the FTSE All-World ex-US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +22.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3860 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or VEU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +19.1% and VEU returned +22.9%, so VEU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or VEU?
- ACWI charges 0.32% a year and VEU charges 0.04%, so VEU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do ACWI and VEU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 61% of ACWI and 0% of VEU by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 6% 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 VEU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ACWI-VEU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources