Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs SLV: how they differ
EWJ is an equity index fund and SLV a commodity fund, and over the year SLV returned more, +53.8% against +26.5%.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares Silver Trust.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | SLV iShares Silver Trust | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Silver |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +53.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | +36.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.50% |
| Holdings | 179 | not filed |
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%.
SLV in plain words
SLV is a commodity fund tracking the Silver. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +53.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.50% a year. It sat 45.0% below its high of Jan 28, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or SLV?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and SLV returned +53.8%, so SLV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or SLV?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and SLV charges 0.50%, so EWJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Where these figures came from
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Cite this page. ETFIQ, EWJ against SLV, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-SLV Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources