EWC vs EWO

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

EWOBiShares MSCI Austria 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.

EWO Austria in a single ticker, and a 1996 original from the first wave of single-country index funds. Fees sit just under the peer median, and nothing else in its peer group tracks the same Austrian index.

Stated mandate

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

EWO The fund seeks to track an index composed of Austrian equities.

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

• EWO Launched in 1996, when single-country index funds were still a novelty, and still running under the iShares banner. Longevity in a corner of the market where niche funds often close early.
• 0.49% a year, a hair under the 0.50% median for developed single-country funds. Not a huge edge, but you keep it every year you hold.
• Tracks the MSCI Austria IMI 25/50 Index, which reaches past the giants into mid and small caps and applies issuer caps so no single stock can swallow the portfolio.ishares.com
• Sits in the upper half of the developed single-country ETFs we cover, and the underlying data on its mandate and index is unambiguous rather than inferred.

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.

• EWO Thinly traded with a modest asset base, so bid-ask spreads can widen and sizeable orders can push the price around. Trading mechanics matter more here than in a mega-fund.
• One small European market means a short holdings list where a handful of names carry real weight. That concentration cuts both ways.
• Cash comes once or twice a year rather than quarterly or monthly, so income lands in lumps.

Full EWC profile⁠

Full EWO profile⁠