Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
EWJ vs QUAL: how they differ
EWJ and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and EWJ returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI Japan ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EWJ and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | EWJ | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY | 0.05% | 0.10% |
| CASH COLLATERAL JPY SGAFT | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Only in EWJ | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP 4.70% | MICROSOFT 7.67% |
| TOYOTA MOTOR 3.41% | APPLE 7.10% |
| SOFTBANK GROUP 3.04% | NVIDIA 6.44% |
| SUMITOMO MITSUI FINANCIAL GROUP 3.01% | META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32% |
| ADVANTEST 2.98% | ELI LILLY 3.62% |
| TOKYO ELECTRON 2.82% | LAM RESEARCH 3.59% |
| HITACHI 2.75% | TJX 3.23% |
| KIOXIA HOLDINGS 2.68% | VISA CLASS A 3.21% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.
| EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | MSCI Japan | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.5% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +9.0 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 171 | 121 |
EWJ in plain words
EWJ is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI Japan. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +26.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 171 positions, with the top ten at 30.4%.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 44.4%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +26.5% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so EWJ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, EWJ or QUAL?
- EWJ charges 0.49% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do EWJ and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of EWJ and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, EWJ against QUAL, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-qual Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources