Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWY vs XLB: how they differ
EWY and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWY returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWY and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in EWY | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| SK hynix Inc. 31.02% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO.,LTD 3.44% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| SK Square Co., Ltd. 3.10% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY 2.45% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| KB Financial Group Inc. 1.40% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| HYUNDAI MOBIS CO.,LTD 1.22% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| DOOSAN ENERBILITY CO., LTD. 1.22% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| SAMSUNG SDI CO., LTD. 1.15% | CRH PLC 4.67% |
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.
| EWY iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | State Street |
| What it is | MSCI South Korea | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +147.9% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +130.4 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.59% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 82 | 26 |
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.
XLB in plain words
XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% 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 26 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWY or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWY returned +147.9% and XLB returned +12.0%, so EWY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWY or XLB?
- EWY charges 0.59% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWY and XLB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWY and 100% of XLB 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 XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/EWY-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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