EWC vs FLAU

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

FLAUAFranklin FTSE Australia 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.

FLAU Australia for nine basis points. Franklin's 2017 country fund holds a capped index of roughly 110 Australian stocks, so no single name swallows the basket, at a sliver of what the older single-country ETFs charge.

Stated mandate

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

FLAU The Fund seeks investment results that closely track the performance of the FTSE Australia RIC Capped Index before fees and expenses.

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

• FLAU 0.09% a year, versus a peer group where half the funds charge five times that. On a plain index fund, fee is the part you actually control.franklintempleton.com
• The benchmark is a capped FTSE Australia index, so weight limits keep any one holding from quietly becoming an outsized chunk of the fund.
• No stock-picking, no overlay: it aims to match the index before fees, across roughly 110 names, and has run that way since 2017.
• Rates as one of the stronger builds in a 30-fund developed single-country group, largely on cost and clean index execution.

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.

• FLAU Thinly traded, and Sydney's session is closed during US hours, so spreads can run wider than on the household-name country funds.
• A smaller fund than the long-running incumbents, and it pays out annually or semiannually rather than on a monthly rhythm.
• The holdings trade in Australian dollars while your account is in US dollars, so the currency move is part of the ride. There is no hedge.franklintempleton.com

Full EWC profile⁠

Full FLAU profile⁠