ETF Versus

EWY vs EWZ

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF vs iShares MSCI Brazil ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-02

EWY

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to south korea equity securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.61%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $15.6B ER: 0.59% Yield: 1.61% Since: May 9, 2000
EWZ

iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to brazil equity securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.30%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $9.3B ER: 0.59% Yield: 4.30% Since: Jul 10, 2000

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, EWY has significantly outperformed with a 130.1% return vs 46.8%. Income investors may prefer EWZ for its higher yield (4.3% vs 1.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric EWY EWZ
Expense Ratio 0.59% 0.59%
Dividend Yield 1.6% 4.3%
Fund Family N/A N/A
Category South Korea Equity Brazil Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

50 73 96 119 142 165 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
EWY +37.4%
EWZ +14.3%

Performance Comparison

Period EWY EWZ Difference
1 Month -14.45% -0.70% -13.75%
3 Months +23.48% +19.16% +4.32%
6 Months +50.53% +26.51% +24.02%
YTD +23.48% +19.16% +4.32%
1 Year +130.12% +46.79% +83.33%
3 Years +107.39% +40.60% +66.79%
5 Years +37.40% +14.26% +23.14%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period EWY Fees EWZ Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $1.151 $1.151 $0
$10.000 20 years $4.837 $4.837 $0
$10.000 30 years $15.249 $15.249 $0
$50.000 10 years $5.754 $5.754 $0
$50.000 30 years $76.247 $76.247 $0
$100.000 30 years $152.494 $152.494 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric EWY EWZ
Annualized Volatility 26.8% 28.5%
Max Drawdown -49.6% -46.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.20 0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWY EWZ
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.04 $1.65
Dividend Yield 1.61% 4.30%
Distribution Frequency Semi-Annual or Annual Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

EWY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/00593022.19%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/00066019.82%
Hyundai Motor Company!krx/0053802.73%
KB Financial Group Inc.!krx/1055602.30%
SK Square Co., Ltd.!krx/4023402.19%
Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd.!krx/0124501.88%
Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd.!krx/0340201.83%
Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd.!krx/0555501.69%
Kia Corporation!krx/0002701.53%
Celltrion, Inc.!krx/0682701.37%

EWZ Top Holdings

NameWeight
Vale S.A.!bvmf/VALE310.33%
Nu Holdings Ltd.NU8.81%
Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A.!bvmf/ITUB48.27%
Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - Petrobras!bvmf/PETR37.33%
B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão!bvmf/B3SA33.51%
Banco Bradesco S.A.!bvmf/BBDC43.28%
WEG S.A.!bvmf/WEGE33.09%
Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de São Paulo - SABESP!bvmf/SBSP32.91%
Ambev S.A.!bvmf/ABEV32.72%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose EWY if...

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

Choose EWZ if...

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

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