Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
ACWX vs QUAL: how they differ
ACWX and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and ACWX returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWX and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in ACWX | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Compa 4.69% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| ASML Holding N.V. 1.54% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| SK hynix Inc. 1.33% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| Tencent Holdings Limited 1.07% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 0.86% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC 0.81% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| Alibaba Group Holding Limited 0.79% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| Novartis AG 0.77% | ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% |
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.
| ACWX iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. 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 ex U.S. | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +23.0% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +5.5 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 1759 | 121 |
ACWX in plain words
ACWX is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI ACWI ex U.S.. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +23.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% 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 1759 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%.
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, ACWX or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWX returned +23.0% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so ACWX returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, ACWX or QUAL?
- ACWX charges 0.32% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do ACWX and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of ACWX and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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, ACWX against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ACWX-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources