Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs IBB: how they differ
EWJ and IBB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and IBB returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares Biotechnology ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and IBB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in IBB |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 8.09% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | Amgen, Inc. 7.84% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | Gilead Sciences, Inc. 6.85% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 4.91% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | Argenx SE 3.76% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 3.12% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Natera, Inc. 2.89% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Revolution Medicines, Inc. 2.78% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Biotechnology |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +41.5% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | +24.0 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.44% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 35.6% |
| Holdings | 179 | 248 |
EWJ in plain words
EWJ is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI Japan. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +26.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 179 positions, with the top ten at 28.4%.
IBB in plain words
IBB is an index equity fund tracking the Biotechnology. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +41.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.44% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 36% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 248 positions, with the top ten at 44.8%. It sat 6.5% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or IBB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and IBB returned +41.5%, so IBB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or IBB?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and IBB charges 0.44%, so IBB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and IBB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 36% of IBB 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.
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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, EWJ against IBB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-IBB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources