Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs XLC: how they differ
EWJ and XLC hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and XLC hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWJ | Only in XLC |
|---|---|
| Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. 4.08% | Meta Platforms Inc 19.93% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION 3.45% | Alphabet Inc 13.10% |
| SoftBank Group Corp. 3.37% | Alphabet Inc 10.44% |
| Tokyo Electron Limited 2.90% | Take-Two Interactive Software Inc 5.26% |
| Hitachi, Ltd. 2.86% | Netflix Inc 4.84% |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. 2.58% | Comcast Corp 4.71% |
| Sony Group Corporation 2.56% | Warner Bros Discovery Inc 4.67% |
| ADVANTEST CORPORATION 2.41% | Electronic Arts Inc 4.64% |
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 | XLC State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | State Street |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | Communication services |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | −2.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −19.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 179 | 23 |
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%.
XLC in plain words
XLC is an index equity fund tracking the Communication services. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −2.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 23 positions, with the top ten at 76.2%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or XLC?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and XLC returned −2.0%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or XLC?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and XLC charges 0.08%, so XLC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and XLC overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 100% of XLC 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 XLC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWJ-XLC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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