EWC vs EWT

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

EWTCiShares MSCI Taiwan 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.

EWT Running since 2000, EWT is the veteran, heavily traded way to own Taiwan in one ticker: roughly 80 of the island's listed companies, tracking MSCI's capped Taiwan index.

Stated mandate

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

EWT The fund seeks to track an index composed of Taiwanese 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

• EWT Trading since 2000 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that changes hands very actively, so the market in it is deep on both sides.
• One ticker covers roughly 80 Taiwanese companies, and the index is the capped 25/50 version, which limits how much weight the largest holdings can carry.
• Plain plumbing: a straight index fund from iShares with no leverage, no derivatives overlay, no income gimmicks, and no structural red flags in our review.

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.

• EWT At 0.59% a year it sits above the single-country median of 0.50%, and the cheapest funds in that group, such as FLKR and FLAU, charge 0.09%.
• One country, about 80 stocks: moves can run hotter than a globally diversified fund, and everything rides on a single economy.
• Distributions come once or twice a year, not quarterly, so the income arrives in lumps.

Full EWC profile⁠

Full EWT profile⁠