ETF Versus

EWT vs EWU

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF vs iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

EWT iShares

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF (EWT) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares that provides exposure to taiwan equity securities. It charges a high expense ratio of 0.59%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.66%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $7.6B ER: 0.59% Yield: 3.66% Since: Jun 20, 2000
EWU iShares

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares 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 3.44%. Launched in 1996, the fund has a 30-year track record.

AUM: $3.5B ER: 0.50% Yield: 3.44% 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 77.5% return vs 37.5%.

Key Metrics

Metric EWT EWU
Expense Ratio 0.59% 0.50%
Dividend Yield 3.7% 3.4%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category Taiwan Equity UK Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

65 83 101 119 137 155 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
EWT +26.4%
EWU +48.8%

Performance Comparison

Period EWT EWU Difference
1 Month +6.92% +2.92% +4.00%
3 Months +15.41% +5.70% +9.71%
6 Months +19.09% +13.50% +5.59%
YTD +18.70% +7.20% +11.50%
1 Year +77.48% +37.47% +40.01%
3 Years +70.06% +43.77% +26.29%
5 Years +26.35% +48.84% -22.49%

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 24.3% 16.7%
Max Drawdown -41.3% -26.2%
Sharpe Ratio 0.13 0.29

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWT EWU
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.82 $1.64
Dividend Yield 3.66% 3.44%
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/233021.73%
Delta Electronics, Inc.!tpe/23085.22%
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.!tpe/23173.85%
MediaTek Inc.!tpe/24543.75%
ASE Technology Holding Co., Ltd.!tpe/37112.45%
Elite Material Co., Ltd.!tpe/23832.29%
Unimicron Technology Corp.!tpe/30372.18%
Accton Technology Corporation!tpe/23452.10%
CTBC Financial Holding Co., Ltd.!tpe/28911.82%
Asia Vital Components Co., Ltd.!tpe/30171.77%

EWU Top Holdings

NameWeight
AstraZeneca PLC!lon/AZN9.70%
HSBC Holdings plc!lon/HSBA9.42%
Shell plc!lon/SHEL7.97%
Rolls-Royce Holdings plc!lon/RR4.41%
British American Tobacco p.l.c.!lon/BATS3.96%
Unilever PLC!lon/ULVR3.85%
BP p.l.c.!lon/BP3.64%
GSK plc!lon/GSK3.56%
Rio Tinto Group!lon/RIO3.40%
BAE Systems plc!lon/BA2.82%

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.

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