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Launched · SEC filings

iShares Asia 50 ETF

AIANasdaqiSharesC

$126.46−0.49 (−0.39%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

C47/ 100

Rank 7 of 7 in Asia-Pacific Region

C47/100Rank 7 of 7inAsia-Pacific Region
Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 126.95 to 126.46. Range 126.46 to 129.82. Use the arrow keys to read each point.128.00129.00130.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.50%
Fund size
$4.55B
1Y total return
+31.0%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.69%
Holdings
60
Avg volume · 30D
404K sh
52W range
low $90.95high $150.83
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net AIA Grade

C

Score 47 out of 100

Category
Asia-Pacific Region⁠
Rank
7 of 7
Six-pillar profile for AIA. Scores out of 100: Cost 23, Risk 31, Mission 81, Tradability 64, Holdings 28, Durability 64. Strongest: Mission (81). Weakest: Cost (23). Leans toward Mission.

Score 47 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    F23 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 7

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A81 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 7

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D31 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 7

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B64 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 7

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D28 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 7

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B64 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 7

Our read on AIA

ETF.net Research

In short

CA 50-stock shortlist of Asia's largest companies, running since 2007. Where broad international funds spread across thousands of names, this one concentrates on the region's blue-chip giants in a single ticker.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track the investment results of an index made up of 50 of the largest Asian equities.

Why people hold it

  • Concentration by design: about 50 of Asia's biggest listed companies, so the region's giants carry real weight instead of being diluted by thousands of smaller names.
  • Trading since 2007, so it has a long record through the financial crisis and multiple Asian market cycles, not a recent launch chasing a theme.
  • The mandate is plain to read: track the S&P Asia 50 Capped Index, whose capped construction limits how heavy any one holding can become.
  • A multi-billion-dollar iShares fund that sees steady daily trading, which generally makes building or exiting a position uncomplicated.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.50% a year it runs well above the 0.28% median in its international-blend peer group, and far above broad options like VEU (0.04%) or IXUS (0.07%).
  • Fifty stocks in one region is a slice, not a global core. Single-country, currency and single-company swings land with more force here.
  • Income arrives on an annual or semiannual schedule, so it is not built around a steady monthly payout.

AIA Performance

Launched Nov 13, 2007

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

AIA$13,099
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. AIA $13,099. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$12,000$14,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for AIA. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodAIA
Year to date+30.7%
1 month−10.7%
3 months−4.9%
1 year+31.0%
3 yearsper year+36.4%
5 yearsper year+12.3%
10 yearsper year+12.4%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for AIA
YearReturn barAIA
2026 YTD+30.7%
2025+47.8%
2024+20.3%
2023+4.9%
2022−24.1%
2021−10.9%
2020+33.7%

AIA in the news

AIA Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
1.69%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$2.14Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.51 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Twice a year

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 19 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Jun 20, 2017 $0.19; Dec 21, 2017 $0.77; Jun 19, 2018 $0.33; Dec 18, 2018 $1.05; Jun 17, 2019 $0.42; Dec 16, 2019 $1.06; Jun 15, 2020 $0.26; Dec 14, 2020 $0.71; Jun 10, 2021 $0.45; Dec 13, 2021 $0.73; Jun 9, 2022 $0.52; Dec 13, 2022 $0.95; Jun 7, 2023 $0.53; Dec 20, 2023 $0.99; Jun 11, 2024 $0.38; Dec 17, 2024 $1.51; Jun 16, 2025 $0.82; Dec 16, 2025 $1.63; Jun 15, 2026 $0.51. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Jun 15, 2026Jun 18, 2026$0.51
Dec 16, 2025Dec 19, 2025$1.63
Jun 16, 2025Jun 20, 2025$0.82
Dec 17, 2024Dec 20, 2024$1.51
Jun 11, 2024Jun 17, 2024$0.38
Dec 20, 2023Dec 27, 2023$0.99
Jun 7, 2023Jun 13, 2023$0.53
Dec 13, 2022Dec 19, 2022$0.95
Jun 9, 2022Jun 15, 2022$0.52
Dec 13, 2021Dec 17, 2021$0.73
Jun 10, 2021Jun 16, 2021$0.45
Dec 14, 2020Dec 18, 2020$0.71

See all 37 payments⁠

$10,000 in AIA 10 years ago paid $3,046 in dividends.⁠

AIA Risk

Risk pillarD31 out of 100Rank 7 of 7 in Asia-Pacific Region
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
21.5%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
1.36
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−43.9%
Trough Oct 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.14
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

AIA Cost

Compare AIA and VPL

Overpaying vs VPL, cheapest in Asia-Pacific Region

$8,499

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • AIA 0.50%

    $9,979

  • VPL 0.07% Cheapest

    $1,480

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • AIA 0.50%
  • VPL 0.07%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K$10K051015202530AIA $9,979VPL $1,480

Year by year

YearAIAVPLOverpaying
10$900$128$772
20$3,460$503$2,957
30$9,979$1,480$8,499

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