Get the weekly note
ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

Data as of .

IDEF vs WDEF: which is really different?

IDEF and WDEF hold 21% of their weight in the same names, and IDEF returned more over the year.

iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF and WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund.

36.2%IDEF in the S&P 500
0.0%WDEF in the S&P 500
+4.4%IDEF total return, 1 year
−7.6%WDEF total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Off-Index Score: WDEF scores higher

How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?

IDEF 35.5WDEF 91.80.1, the lowest in this set91.8, the highest

A percentile among the 379 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed

IDEF64% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
36%64%of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 96% · top ten 36% of the fund · 155 holdings filed Sep 17, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 9% in36%64%inoutside the S&P 500active share 96% · top ten 36% of the fund
WDEF100% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
0%100%0% of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 64% of the fund · 42 holdings filed Jun 30, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 0% in0%100%0% of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 100% · top ten 64% of the fund

21% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, IDEF and WDEF hold 21% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions IDEF and WDEF both hold, largest shared weight first
HoldingIDEFWDEF
ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC3.29%5.57%
AIRBUS GROUP2.55%5.34%
BAE SYSTEMS PLC2.18%10.21%
THALES SA2.18%10.14%
LEONARDO FINMECCANICA SPA1.60%4.79%
SAFRAN SA1.30%5.62%
RHEINMETALL AG1.15%8.70%
KONGSBERG GRUPPEN0.87%4.61%
BABCOCK INTERNATIONAL GROUP PLC0.85%3.10%
CSG CLASS A NV0.66%1.25%
DASSAULT AVIATION SA0.49%4.14%
EXOSENS SA0.49%1.70%
Only in each
Only in IDEFOnly in WDEF
RTX 6.55%SAAB AB 4.83%
PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES CLASS A 5.02%INDRA SISTEMAS SA 2.98%
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 3.77%MELROSE INDUSTRIES PLC 2.54%
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 3.62%EXAIL TECHNOLOGIES SA 1.34%
BOEING 3.19%FINCANTIERI SPA 1.30%
GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 2.94%THEON INTERNATIONAL PLC 1.27%
NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 2.58%SERCO GROUP PLC 0.94%
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES COR 2.44%OHB SE 0.78%

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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.

Performance, window by window

IDEF and WDEF over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnvs the S&P 500vs the Nasdaq-100
IDEFWDEFIDEFWDEFIDEFWDEF
3 months−1.6%+2.9%−3.9 pts+0.7 pts+0.9 pts+5.4 pts
6 months−5.7%−6.0%−23.8 pts−24.1 pts−30.0 pts−30.3 pts
1 year+4.4%−7.6%−12.2 pts−24.1 pts−17.4 pts−29.4 pts
Since launch+27.2%−2.7%−5.6 pts−25.7 pts−14.2 pts−31.8 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
IDEF and WDEF on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IDEF
iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF
Holds 155 stocks in defense, 36% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
WDEF
WisdomTree Europe Defense Fund
Holds 42 stocks in defense, 0% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
IssueriSharesWisdomTree
ThemeDefenseDefense
In the S&P 50036.2%0.0%
Active share vs the S&P 50095.9%100.0%
In the Nasdaq-1009.2%0.0%
Holdings15542
Top ten, share of the fund35.8%63.9%
Expense rationot published0.45%
Fee for the differing partnot published0.45%
Total return, 1 year+4.4%−7.6%
vs the S&P 500−12.2 pts−24.1 pts
vs the Nasdaq-100−17.4 pts−29.4 pts
Below its high−13.4%−15.7%
Net assets$4.3bn$83m

IDEF in plain words

By weight, 36% of IDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 96%. The top ten holdings are 36% of the fund across 155 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 18, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +4.4% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 12.2 pts. It sits 13.4% below its all-time high of Mar 2, 2026.

WDEF in plain words

By weight, 0% of WDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 64% of the fund across 42 positions, as filed for Jun 30, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned −7.6% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 24.1 pts. It sits 15.7% below its all-time high of Jan 27, 2026.

Questions people ask

Do IDEF and WDEF hold the same stocks?
By their latest filings, 21% of their books are the same securities at the same weight, which is a meaningful overlap. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
Which is more different from the S&P 500, IDEF or WDEF?
IDEF has 36% of its weight in S&P 500 names and WDEF has 0%, so WDEF differs more from the index.

Other comparisons

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.

IDEF against WDEF, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, IDEF against WDEF, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/idef-vs-wdef Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources