Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or USO?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +18.1% and USO +133.3%.

Which is cheaper, EWJ or USO?

EWJ is cheaper, by 0.37 percentage points a year. That is about $37 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

EWJ vs USO: Differences, Returns & Fees

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EWJ is an equity index fund and USO a commodity futures fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, USO returned +133.3% against +18.1%.

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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $23.9bn for iShares MSCI Japan ETF and $1.9bn for United States Oil Fund, LP.

EWJ on its own →USO on its own →

At a glance

+18.1%

EWJ total return, 1 year

+133.3%

USO total return, 1 year

0.49%

EWJ expense ratio

0.86%

USO expense ratio

Pair scorecard

EWJ costs 0.37 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 115.2 points; EWJ is 12.6 times larger.

EWJ vs USO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	EWJ	USO
Return
Measure	EWJ	USO
Total return, 1 year	+18.1%	+133.3%
Drawdown
Measure	EWJ	USO
Below its high	4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026	82.3%, high on Jul 14, 2008
Benchmark
Measure	EWJ	USO
What it tracks	MSCI Japan Index	Oil futures
Cost and size
Measure	EWJ	USO
Expense ratio	0.49%	0.86%
Net assets	$23.9bn	$1.9bn
Holdings
Measure	EWJ	USO
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%

Method

Side by side

EWJ iShares MSCI Japan ETF USO United States Oil Fund, LP

Where it sits Stock ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares USCF

What it is Tracks the MSCI Japan Holds oil futures

Total return, 1 year +18.1% +133.3%

Its benchmark over the same days +14.3% (ACWX) not measured

Gap to its benchmark +3.8 pts vs ACWX not measured

Expense ratio 0.49% 0.86%

Holdings 169 not counted

Net assets $23.9bn $1.9bn

EWJ and USO on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

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.

USO

USO holds oil futures. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +133.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.86% a year. It sat 82.3% below its high of Jul 14, 2008 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EWJ or USO?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EWJ returned +18.1% and USO +133.3%.
Which is cheaper, EWJ or USO?: EWJ is cheaper, by 0.37 percentage points a year. That is about $37 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

BWET vs EWJ EWJ vs SLV EWJ vs SIVR EWJ vs GLDM EWT vs USO EWZ vs USO EZU vs USO USO vs VPL

Where to next

EWJ on its own →USO on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →EWJ dividend history →EWJ holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

EWJ filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

EWJ prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for EWJ ↗

USCF website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, EWJ against USO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ewj-vs-uso

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