Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ACWI vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ACWI returned +13.4% to QUAL's +13.1%; 31% 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 $48.2bn for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
QUAL costs 0.17 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; QUAL is 1.5 times larger.
| Measure | ACWI | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.4% | +13.1% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.15% |
| Net assets | $33.0bn | $48.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 31% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 24.9% | 44.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 26, 2013 to Oct 23, 2026 · 691 weekly returnsQUAL returned more: +444.7% to +283.5%. ACWI swung slightly less: 15.6% to 16.2%. QUAL fell slightly less at its worst: −31.4% to −32.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ACWI | QUAL | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +283.5% | +444.7% | QUAL | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.6% | +13.6% | QUAL | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +197.8% | +346.8% | QUAL | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 15.6% | 16.2% | ACWI (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.0% | 11.2% | ACWI (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −32.1% | −31.4% | QUAL (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.60 | 0.75 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.86 | 1.09 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.33 | 0.43 | QUAL | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 691 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ACWI and QUAL hold 31% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
31% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ACWI and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
ACWI and QUAL do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. ACWI follows MSCI ACWI and QUAL follows MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index.
- Holdings in common. 31% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- Number of holdings. ACWI holds 2,197 positions and QUAL holds 119.
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%.
QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWI or QUAL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWI returned +13.4% and QUAL +13.1%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWI or QUAL?
- QUAL is cheaper, by 0.17 percentage points a year. That is about $17 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 QUAL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-qual
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ACWI against QUAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-qual
[ACWI against QUAL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwi-vs-qual)
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