Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IEFA vs XLG: how they differ
IEFA and XLG hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and IEFA returned more over the year.
iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF and Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IEFA and XLG hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in IEFA | Only in XLG |
|---|---|
| ASML HOLDING 2.62% | NVIDIA Corp 12.79% |
| HSBC HOLDINGS PLC 1.40% | Apple Inc 11.58% |
| ROCHE PS PAR AG 1.18% | Microsoft Corp 8.83% |
| SHELL PLC 1.09% | Amazon.com Inc 5.95% |
| MITSUBISHI UFJ FINANCIAL GROUP 1.00% | Alphabet Inc 4.71% |
| NOVARTIS AG 0.99% | Broadcom Inc 4.12% |
| NESTLE SA 0.97% | Alphabet Inc 3.77% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC 0.94% | Meta Platforms Inc 3.42% |
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.
| IEFA iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | XLG Invesco S&P 500 Top 50 ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Invesco |
| What it is | Core MSCI EAFE | S&P 500 top 50 |
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | +12.2% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +0.5 pts | −5.3 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.20% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.1% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 1650 | 52 |
IEFA in plain words
IEFA is an index equity fund tracking the Core MSCI EAFE. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 1650 positions, with the top ten at 12.0%.
XLG in plain words
XLG is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500 top 50. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.20% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 52 positions, with the top ten at 60.3%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IEFA or XLG?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEFA returned +18.0% and XLG returned +12.2%, so IEFA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IEFA or XLG?
- IEFA charges 0.07% a year and XLG charges 0.20%, so IEFA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IEFA and XLG overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IEFA and 100% of XLG 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
Where to next
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, IEFA against XLG, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iefa-vs-xlg Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources