EWC vs EWS

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

EWSBiShares MSCI Singapore 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.

EWS One of the 1996 originals, still doing the same job: Singapore's large and mid caps in one ticker. Index rules cap any single issuer at 25%, which matters in a market this top-heavy.

Stated mandate

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

EWS The fund seeks to track an index composed of Singaporean equities, providing targeted exposure to companies in Singapore.

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

• EWS Launched in March 1996, making it one of the first single-country ETFs ever listed in the US. Decades later it is still a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively.aaii.com
• One ticker for the Singapore market: it tracks the MSCI Singapore 25/50 Index, the large and mid cap slice, with no stock picking and no hunting down foreign listings.ishares.com
• The 25/50 index rules are a real feature: no issuer above 25% of the index, and issuers over 5% capped at 50% combined, reset at quarterly rebalances.msci.com
• Sits in the upper half of the developed single-country group, with the trading depth and operational backing that come with a long-tenured BlackRock fund.

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.

• EWS The 0.50% expense ratio sits right at the middle of its peer group, but index rivals such as FLAU and FLKR charge 0.09%. Country access here is not the cheap end of the shelf.
• One country, one compact basket. BlackRock notes funds concentrated in a specific market or sector can be more volatile than the broad market.ishares.com
• Cash comes back once or twice a year, not monthly, and the holdings trade in Singapore dollars, so currency swings ride along with the stocks.ishares.com

Full EWC profile⁠

Full EWS profile⁠