ETF Versus

EWT vs EWU

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF vs iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

EWT

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF (EWT) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to taiwan equity securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.93%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $7.5B ER: 0.59% Yield: 3.93% Since: Jun 20, 2000
EWU

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to uk equity securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.50%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.54%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $3.2B ER: 0.50% Yield: 3.54% Since: Mar 12, 1996

Quick Verdict

EWU has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.50% vs 0.59%), saving about $172 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, EWT has significantly outperformed with a 48.8% return vs 23.8%.

Key Metrics

Metric EWT EWU
Expense Ratio 0.59% 0.50%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 3.5%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category Taiwan Equity UK Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 83 101 119 137 155 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
EWT +18.4%
EWU +44.4%

Performance Comparison

Period EWT EWU Difference
1 Month -4.46% -3.68% -0.78%
3 Months +10.73% +4.25% +6.48%
6 Months +10.95% +8.70% +2.25%
YTD +10.73% +4.25% +6.48%
1 Year +48.80% +23.80% +25.00%
3 Years +57.28% +41.61% +15.67%
5 Years +18.41% +44.39% -25.98%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period EWT Fees EWU Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $1.151 $979 $172
$10.000 20 years $4.837 $4.131 $706
$10.000 30 years $15.249 $13.077 $2.172
$50.000 10 years $5.754 $4.895 $860
$50.000 30 years $76.247 $65.385 $10.862
$100.000 30 years $152.494 $130.770 $21.724

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric EWT EWU
Annualized Volatility 24.1% 16.6%
Max Drawdown -41.3% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.08 0.26

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWT EWU
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.82 $1.64
Dividend Yield 3.93% 3.54%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Semi-Annual or Annual

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

EWT Top Holdings

NameWeight
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited!tpe/233021.22%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23084.95%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23173.99%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24543.93%
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.!tpe/37112.37%
Elite Material Co., Ltd.!tpe/23832.19%
Accton Technology Corporation!tpe/23452.13%
Unimicron Technology Corp.!tpe/30371.88%
Asia Vital Components Co., Ltd.!tpe/30171.82%
CTBC Financial Holding Co., Ltd.!tpe/28911.79%

EWU Top Holdings

NameWeight
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN9.67%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA8.98%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL8.65%
Unilever PLC!lon/ULVR4.26%
British American Tobacco p.l.c.!lon/BATS4.13%
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc!lon/RR4.06%
BP p.l.c.!lon/BP4.01%
GSK plc!lon/GSK3.64%
Rio Tinto Group!lon/RIO3.22%
BAE Systems plc!lon/BA2.70%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EWU if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose EWT if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose EWT if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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