BBAX vs EPP

BBAXBJPMorgan BetaBuilders Developed Asia Pacific ex-Japan ETF

EPPCiShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF

In short

BBAX Developed Asia Pacific with Japan deliberately cut out: Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand in one ticket. The region's other half, indexed, at a price below the typical international blend fund.

EPP EPP is the Pacific minus Japan: one ticket for the region's developed markets, with Japan deliberately left out so you can size that exposure yourself. It has tracked an MSCI index of roughly 90 stocks since 2001.

Stated mandate

BBAX The fund is designed to provide indexed exposure to developed Asian Pacific equity markets while excluding Japan.

EPP The fund seeks to track an index of developed-market equities in the Pacific region, excluding Japan, providing diversified regional exposure.

Why people hold it

• BBAX Costs 0.19% a year, under the roughly 0.28% median for its international blend peer group.
• Japan is excluded by design, so it stacks next to a separate Japan holding without overlap. It tracks a Morningstar developed Asia Pacific ex-Japan index.jpmorgan.com
• Plain index plumbing since 2018: about 90 stocks across four markets, quarterly distributions, and a multi-billion-dollar asset base behind it.

• EPP Japan is carved out by mandate, not by accident, so Japanese stocks are a decision you make separately instead of a weight you inherit.ishares.com
• Launched in 2001 under iShares, one of the longest-running US-listed ways to hold developed Pacific ex Japan in a single line item.
• Plain index wrapper: one declared benchmark (MSCI Pacific ex Japan Index, Net), roughly 90 holdings, no stock picking.
• A billion-dollar-plus, moderately traded fund rather than a thin niche listing, and it sits in the upper half of its index-wrapper peer group.

Worth knowing

• BBAX Four markets and roughly 90 names. This is a regional slice, not a diversified international core.
• Broad ex-US funds cost less for far wider coverage: VEU at 0.04% and IXUS at 0.07%, both including Japan.
• Trading is moderate rather than heavy, so spreads deserve a look at the open and close. It sits in the lower half of its peer group overall.

• EPP At 0.47%, regional exposure costs more than broad index staples like SCHK (0.03%) or VT (0.06%). You pay for the geographic slice.
• Roughly 90 stocks across a handful of Pacific markets means country, sector, and currency swings land harder than in a global fund.
• Distributions run annual or semiannual rather than quarterly, so income arrives in lumps.

Full BBAX profile⁠

Full EPP profile⁠