Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IWC vs QUAL: how they differ
IWC and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and IWC returned more over the year.
iShares Micro-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IWC and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IWC | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| USD CASH | 0.11% | 0.08% |
| BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY | 0.03% | 0.10% |
| Only in IWC | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| CAREDX 0.61% | MICROSOFT 7.67% |
| SELLAS LIFE SCIENCES GROUP INC 0.60% | APPLE 7.10% |
| NURIX THERAPEUTICS 0.59% | NVIDIA 6.44% |
| PENGUIN SOLUTIONS INC 0.58% | META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32% |
| OUSTER 0.52% | ELI LILLY 3.62% |
| VIRIDIAN THERAPEUTICS ORS 0.48% | LAM RESEARCH 3.59% |
| INTERFACE 0.47% | TJX 3.23% |
| MBX BIOSCIENCES 0.45% | 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.
| IWC iShares Micro-Cap ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Russell Microcap | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +31.3% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +13.8 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 91.9% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 1252 | 121 |
IWC in plain words
IWC is an index equity fund tracking the Russell Microcap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +31.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1252 positions, with the top ten at 5.1%. It sat 5.0% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
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, IWC or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWC returned +31.3% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so IWC returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- How much do IWC and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 92% of IWC 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, IWC against QUAL, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwc-vs-qual Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources