Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
BOXX vs EWJ: Differences, Returns & Fees
BOXX is an actively managed short-term fund and EWJ an equity index fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EWJ returned +18.1% against +4.0%.
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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $14.5bn for Alpha Architect 1-3 Month Box ETF and $23.9bn for iShares MSCI Japan ETF.
Pair scorecard
BOXX costs 0.30 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.1 points; EWJ is 1.6 times larger.
| Measure | BOXX | EWJ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +18.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI Japan Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.19% | 0.49% |
| Net assets | $14.5bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | not published | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Holdings dated | Oct 27, 2026 | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 29.5% | |
Side by side
BOXX and EWJ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
BOXX
BOXX is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.19% a year.
EWJ
EWJ tracks the MSCI Japan. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.1% with distributions reinvested, against +14.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% 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 169 positions, with the top ten at 29.5%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, BOXX or EWJ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, BOXX returned +4.0% and EWJ +18.1%.
- Which is cheaper, BOXX or EWJ?
- BOXX is cheaper, by 0.30 percentage points a year. That is about $30 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.
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ETFIQ, BOXX against EWJ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-ewj
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). BOXX against EWJ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-ewj
[BOXX against EWJ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/boxx-vs-ewj)
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