EWC vs EWG

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

EWGBiShares MSCI Germany ETF

In short

EWC A 1996 original: Canada's large and mid caps in one ticker, back when single-country funds were still a novelty. About 80 names, held through a capped MSCI index built so one giant can't swamp the basket.

EWG Germany in one ticker, and it has been doing that job since 1996. Roughly 50 large German companies, tracked closely, at a fee a hair under the typical single-country fund.

Stated mandate

EWC The fund seeks to track an index representing Canadian equities, providing exposure to large- and mid-sized companies in Canada.

EWG The fund seeks to track an index of German equities, providing targeted exposure to companies in Germany.

Why people hold it

• EWC Running since 1996, which makes it one of the oldest US-listed ETFs still trading, and it is a multi-billion-dollar fund today.
• Tracks the MSCI Canada Custom Capped Index closely, one of the tighter index-following records in its single-country developed peer group.ishares.com
• Actively traded with among the easiest fills in its peer group, so the cost of getting in and out stays modest.
• The capped index trims outsized single-name weights, so roughly 80 holdings stay a basket rather than a wager on two or three giants.ishares.com

• EWG Trading since 1996, it is one of the original single-country ETFs, and it stays actively traded with billions in assets behind it.
• Sticks closely to its benchmark, the MSCI Germany Index, so the index is a fair read on what the fund is doing.
• The 0.49% fee lands just under the typical developed single-country fund, and it buys the German blue-chip market in one trade.
• Rated among the stronger implementations in its developed single-country peer group.

Worth knowing

• EWC At 0.50%, the fee sits right at the median for single-country developed funds, and cheaper Canada exposure exists: BBCA runs 0.19%.
• One country, about 80 stocks: a concentrated slice of the world, with Canadian dollar moves riding along in your US-dollar return.ishares.com
• Distributions land once or twice a year rather than monthly or quarterly, so income arrives in lumps.

• EWG About 50 stocks in one economy: a handful of German industrial and financial giants carry much of the weight.
• Cheaper entries into single-country developed markets exist (Franklin's FLAU charges 0.09%), though they track different countries.
• Distributions land once or twice a year, not monthly.

Full EWC profile⁠

Full EWG profile⁠