Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWI vs EWY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWI returned +13.4% to EWY's +79.7%; 2% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $33.0bn for iShares MSCI ACWI ETF and $24.4bn for iShares MSCI South Korea ETF.
Pair scorecard
ACWI costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 66.3 points; ACWI is 1.4 times larger.
| Measure | ACWI | EWY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.4% | +79.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 24.3%, high on Jun 18, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI | MSCI Korea 25/50 Daily 25 Capped Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Net assets | $33.0bn | $24.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 24.9% | 60.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 4, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 968 weekly returnsACWI returned more: +333.1% to +242.6%. ACWI swung less: 18.5% to 29.7%. ACWI fell less at its worst: −55.3% to −64.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWI | EWY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +333.1% | +242.6% | ACWI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.2% | +6.8% | ACWI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +204.7% | +155.6% | ACWI | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.5% | 29.7% | ACWI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.2% | 20.6% | ACWI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −55.3% | −64.6% | ACWI | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.32 | ACWI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.62 | 0.47 | ACWI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.11 | ACWI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 968 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and EWY hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWI and EWY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWI and EWY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ACWI follows MSCI ACWI and EWY follows MSCI Korea 25/50 Daily 25 Capped Index.
- Holdings in common. 2% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ACWI returned +13.4% and EWY +79.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 66.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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ACWI
ACWI tracks the MSCI ACWI. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 61% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,197 positions, with the top ten at 24.9%.
EWY
EWY tracks the MSCI South Korea. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +79.7% with distributions reinvested, against +16.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.59% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 78 positions, with the top ten at 60.9%. It sat 24.3% below its high of Jun 18, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or EWY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +13.4% and EWY +79.7%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or EWY?
- ACWI is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, ACWI against EWY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-ewy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWI against EWY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-ewy
[ACWI against EWY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-ewy)
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