Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWY vs QUAL: how they differ
EWY and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWY returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWY and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWY | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| SK hynix Inc. 31.02% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO.,LTD 3.44% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| SK Square Co., Ltd. 3.10% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY 2.45% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| KB Financial Group Inc. 1.40% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| HYUNDAI MOBIS CO.,LTD 1.22% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD. 1.22% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD. 1.15% | 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 and May 31, 2026.
| EWY iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI South Korea | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +147.9% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +130.4 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.59% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 82 | 121 |
EWY in plain words
EWY is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI South Korea. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +147.9% 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 82 positions, with the top ten at 70.0%. It sat 13.9% below its high of Jun 18, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
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, EWY or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWY returned +147.9% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so EWY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWY or QUAL?
- EWY charges 0.59% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWY and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWY 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.
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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, EWY against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWY-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources