ACWX vs QEFA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 21, 2026, ACWX and QEFA finished level, +16.4% against +16.1%, and they share 48% of their weight. Net assets on Oct 20, 2026: $17.6bn for iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF and $1.0bn for State Street SPDR MSCI EAFE StrategicFactors ETF.
QEFA costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.3 points; ACWX is 16.9 times larger.
| ACWX | QEFA | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.32% | 0.30% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 20, 2026 | $17.6bn | $1.0bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.4% | +16.1% |
| What it tracks | MSCI ACWI ex USA Index | MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index |
| Holdings in common | 48% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 15.4% | 15.1% |
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 20, 2026.
ACWX and QEFA are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. ACWX follows MSCI ACWI ex USA Index and QEFA follows MSCI EAFE Factor Mix A-Series Index.
- Holdings in common. 48% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 20, 2026).
- Number of holdings. ACWX holds 1,930 positions and QEFA holds 626.
Data as of Oct 21, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.
Take this comparison to a client
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
Not advice. The brief uses the figures on this page, with the data date and a report id. Saved comparisons are listed on your saved page; privacy.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, ACWX and QEFA hold 48% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 20, 2026.
half
48% in common
On the same fields
ACWX and QEFA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 21, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About ACWX
ACWX tracks the MSCI ACWI ex U.S.. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +16.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.32% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 20, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,930 positions, with the top ten at 15.4%. It sat 4.8% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 21, 2026.
About QEFA
QEFA tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 21, 2026 it returned +16.1% with distributions reinvested, against +16.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 20, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 626 positions, with the top ten at 15.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, ACWX or QEFA?
- In the year to Oct 21, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ACWX returned +16.4% and QEFA +16.1%.
- Which is cheaper, ACWX or QEFA?
- QEFA is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, ACWX against QEFA, data as of Oct 21, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-qefa
ETFIQ. (Oct 21, 2026). ACWX against QEFA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-qefa
[ACWX against QEFA (ETFIQ, Oct 21, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/acwx-vs-qefa)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.