iShares MSCI Belgium ETF
$25.18+0.04 (+0.16%)
- 0.49%
- $233M
- +8.8%
- 1.96%
- 0M sh
- $25.07
- low $23.22high $27.96
The ETF.net EWK Grade
C
Score 51 out of 100
- 21 of 38
Score 51 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 100Rank 10 of 38Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B56 out of 100Rank 26 of 35Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C51 out of 100Rank 16 of 37Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C40 out of 100Rank 26 of 38Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C40 out of 100Rank 26 of 36Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B58 out of 100Rank 17 of 38
Our read on EWK
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.
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 Holdings
- Stocks
- 41
- 67%
- ABI.BR
Sectors
- Health Care25.0%
- Consumer Staples23.4%
- Financials20.1%
- Real Estate9.1%
- Industrials7.7%
- Materials5.8%
- Utilities2.4%
- Consumer Discretionary1.8%
- Communication1.6%
- Technology1.6%
- Energy1.6%
Geography
- Belgium84.16%
- Netherlands15.16%
- United Kingdom0.68%
Developed 100% · Emerging 0%
EWK Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
EWK$10,878
Returns run to the Oct 12, 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.
| Period | EWK |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +4.7% |
| 1 month | −6.6% |
| 3 months | −4.3% |
| 1 year | +8.8% |
| 3 years | +16.3% |
| 5 years | +6.5% |
| 10 years | +5.8% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | EWK |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +4.7% | |
| 2025 | +35.3% | |
| 2024 | +0.2% | |
| 2023 | +7.5% | |
| 2022 | −13.9% | |
| 2021 | +12.9% | |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
EWK in the news
EWK Dividends
- 1.96%
- $0.49
- $0.33 per share
- Twice a year
Distribution history
EWK Risk
- 14.1%
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.
- 0.86
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.
- −33.1%
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.
- 0.90
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
EWK Cost
0.49%
EWK0.49%
- The middle half of Developed Single Country funds
- Median 0.50%
9 of the 38 Developed Single Country funds charge less.
Other funds in Developed Single Country
- CEIRLiShares MSCI Ireland ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +21.2%
- CEWHiShares MSCI Hong Kong ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +11.5%
- CEFNLiShares MSCI Finland ETFExpense ratio 0.53%1 year return +24.0%
- CEWTiShares MSCI Taiwan ETFExpense ratio 0.59%1 year return +94.0%
- CENZLiShares MSCI New Zealand ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return −0.1%