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Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EWT vs IAU: how they differ

EWT is an equity index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year EWT returned more, +84.9% against +19.2%.

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF and iShares Gold Trust.

EWT and IAU on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EWT
iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF
IAU
iShares Gold Trust
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesiShares
What it isMSCI TaiwanGold
Total return, 1 year+84.9%+19.2%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500+67.4 pts+1.7 pts
Expense ratio0.59%0.25%
Holdings85not filed

EWT in plain words

EWT is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI Taiwan. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +84.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.59% 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 85 positions, with the top ten at 51.6%.

IAU in plain words

IAU is a commodity fund tracking the Gold. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% a year. It sat 19.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EWT or IAU?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWT returned +84.9% and IAU returned +19.2%, so EWT returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EWT or IAU?
EWT charges 0.59% a year and IAU charges 0.25%, so IAU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

EWT against IAU, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EWT against IAU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWT-IAU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources