ETF Versus

EWT vs EWY

iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF vs iShares MSCI South Korea 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
EWY iShares

iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by iShares 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 1.47%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $18.3B ER: 0.59% Yield: 1.47% Since: May 9, 2000

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, EWY has significantly outperformed with a 166.8% return vs 77.5%. Income investors may prefer EWT for its higher yield (3.7% vs 1.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric EWT EWY
Expense Ratio 0.59% 0.59%
Dividend Yield 3.7% 1.5%
Fund Family iShares iShares
Category Taiwan Equity South Korea Equity

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

50 73 96 119 142 165 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
EWT +26.4%
EWY +52.2%

Performance Comparison

Period EWT EWY Difference
1 Month +6.92% +4.07% +2.85%
3 Months +15.41% +26.93% -11.52%
6 Months +19.09% +65.34% -46.25%
YTD +18.70% +35.26% -16.56%
1 Year +77.48% +166.81% -89.33%
3 Years +70.06% +122.93% -52.87%
5 Years +26.35% +52.18% -25.83%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period EWT Fees EWY 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 EWT EWY
Annualized Volatility 24.3% 27.2%
Max Drawdown -41.3% -49.6%
Sharpe Ratio 0.13 0.28

Dividend Comparison

Metric EWT EWY
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.82 $2.04
Dividend Yield 3.66% 1.47%
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%

EWY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.!krx/00593023.98%
SK hynix Inc.!krx/00066020.49%
Hyundai Motor Company!krx/0053802.59%
KB Financial Group Inc.!krx/1055602.17%
SK Square Co., Ltd.!krx/4023402.15%
Hanwha Aerospace Co., Ltd.!krx/0124501.93%
Doosan Enerbility Co., Ltd.!krx/0340201.75%
Shinhan Financial Group Co., Ltd.!krx/0555501.61%
Kia Corporation!krx/0002701.44%
Hana Financial Group Inc.!krx/0867901.28%

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 EWT if...

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

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