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Launched · SEC filings

iShares MSCI Belgium ETF

EWKNYSE ArcaiSharesC

$26.48+0.26 (+0.99%)

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

C50/ 100

Rank 21 of 38 in Developed Single Country

C50/100Rank 21 of 38inDeveloped Single Country
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 26.22 to 26.48. Range 26.45 to 26.58. Use the arrow keys to read each point.26.3026.4026.6010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.49%
Fund size
$247M
1Y total return
+15.5%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.86%
Holdings
41
Avg volume · 30D
39.5K sh
52W range
low $23.22high $27.96
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net EWK Grade

C

Score 50 out of 100

Category
Developed Single Country⁠
Rank
21 of 38
Six-pillar profile for EWK. Scores out of 100: Cost 55, Risk 56, Mission 52, Tradability 41, Holdings 36, Durability 59. Strongest: Durability (59). Weakest: Holdings (36). No single pillar leads.

Score 50 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.
    B55 out of 100
    Rank 10 of 38

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    C52 out of 100
    Rank 26 of 35

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    B56 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 38

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 24 of 38

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D36 out of 100
    Rank 27 of 36

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B59 out of 100
    Rank 18 of 38

Our read on EWK

ETF.net Research

In short

CBelgium in one US-listed ticker, and it has been that way since 1996, when EWK launched with the original WEBS funds. Roughly 40 names, with index caps that keep the country's handful of giants from taking over the portfolio.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of a broad-based index composed of Belgian equities.

Why people hold it

  • A 1996 original: EWK debuted in the WEBS batch that invented the single-country index fund, and it still runs under the iShares roof today.sciencedirect.com
  • The 25/50 index rules cap any single issuer at 25% and keep all 5%-plus positions under 50% combined, so Belgium's few megacaps cannot swallow the fund.msci.com
  • One trade for a market Americans otherwise reach stock by stock: the fund tracks a broad-based index of Belgian equities.ishares.com
  • The 0.49% annual fee sits just under the median for developed single-country funds, so the niche exposure carries no niche premium.

Worth knowing

  • Thinly traded with a modest asset base, so spreads can run wider than on the big international index funds.
  • About 40 stocks in one small European economy. The caps trim top-heaviness; they do not turn this into a diversified core holding.
  • Country exposure is priced differently across the shelf: peers like FLKR and FLAU charge 0.09% for their own single-country mandates.

EWK Performance

Launched Mar 12, 1996

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

EWK$11,546
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,146
Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. EWK $11,546. SPY $11,146. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 2, 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 EWK. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodEWK
Year to date+10.3%
1 month+4.4%
3 months−1.7%
1 year+15.5%
3 yearsper year+17.8%
5 yearsper year+6.5%
10 yearsper year+6.8%

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 EWK
YearReturn barEWK
2026 YTD+10.3%
2025+35.3%
2024+0.2%
2023+7.5%
2022−13.9%
2021+12.9%
20200.0%

EWK in the news

EWK 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 Nov 2, 2026.
1.86%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.49Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.33 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. 18 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Jun 20, 2017 $0.35; Dec 19, 2017 $0.26; Jun 19, 2018 $0.36; Dec 18, 2018 $0.10; Jun 17, 2019 $0.35; Dec 16, 2019 $0.21; Jun 15, 2020 $0.15; Dec 14, 2020 $0.18; Jun 10, 2021 $0.25; Dec 13, 2021 $0.52; Jun 9, 2022 $0.46; Jun 7, 2023 $0.33; Dec 20, 2023 $0.06; Jun 11, 2024 $0.37; Dec 17, 2024 $0.23; Jun 16, 2025 $0.26; Dec 16, 2025 $0.16; Jun 15, 2026 $0.33. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Jun 15, 2026Jun 18, 2026$0.33
Dec 16, 2025Dec 19, 2025$0.16
Jun 16, 2025Jun 20, 2025$0.26
Dec 17, 2024Dec 20, 2024$0.23
Jun 11, 2024Jun 17, 2024$0.37
Dec 20, 2023Dec 27, 2023$0.06
Jun 7, 2023Jun 13, 2023$0.33
Jun 9, 2022Jun 15, 2022$0.46
Dec 13, 2021Dec 17, 2021$0.52
Jun 10, 2021Jun 16, 2021$0.25
Dec 14, 2020Dec 18, 2020$0.18
Jun 15, 2020Jun 19, 2020$0.15

See all 48 payments⁠

$10,000 in EWK 10 years ago paid $2,903 in dividends.⁠

EWK Risk

Risk pillarB56 out of 100Rank 14 of 38 in Developed Single Country
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
13.8%
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.
1.00
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.
−33.1%
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.
0.90
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.

EWK Cost

Compare EWK and FLKR

Overpaying vs FLKR, tied cheapest in Developed Single Country

$7,894

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

  • EWK 0.49%

    $9,792

  • FLKR 0.09% Tied cheapest

    $1,898

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • EWK 0.49%
  • FLKR 0.09%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K$10K051015202530EWK $9,792FLKR $1,898

Year by year

YearEWKFLKROverpaying
10$883$165$718
20$3,394$646$2,748
30$9,792$1,898$7,894

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