Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWI vs IWC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWI returned +13.4% to IWC's +16.5%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $33.0bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI ACWI ETF, and $1.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Micro-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
ACWI costs 0.28 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.1 points; ACWI is far larger, $32.6bn against $1.2bn.
| Measure | ACWI | IWC |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.4% | +16.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.5%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI | Russell Microcap Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.60% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $32.6bn | $1.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 24.9% | 5.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 4, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 968 weekly returnsIWC returned slightly more: +359.3% to +333.1%. ACWI swung less: 18.5% to 24.5%. ACWI and IWC fell about the same at their worst: −55.3% and −54.8%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWI | IWC | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +333.1% | +359.3% | IWC (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.2% | +8.5% | IWC (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +204.7% | +269.1% | IWC | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.5% | 24.5% | ACWI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.2% | 17.2% | ACWI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −55.3% | −54.8% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.40 | ACWI (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.62 | 0.57 | ACWI (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.16 | IWC (slight) | 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 IWC hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWI and IWC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWI and IWC do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ACWI follows MSCI ACWI and IWC follows Russell Microcap Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% 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 IWC +16.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.1 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%.
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the Russell 3000 Index.
IWC tracks the Russell Microcap. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,365 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 9.5% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or IWC?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +13.4% and IWC +16.5%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or IWC?
- ACWI is cheaper, by 0.28 percentage points a year. That is about $28 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, ACWI against IWC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-iwc
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWI against IWC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-iwc
[ACWI against IWC (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-iwc)
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