EWC vs MKOR

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

MKORDMatthews Korea Active ETF MKOR

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.

MKOR Korea, stock by stock. MKOR is an actively managed, Asia-specialist take on a corner of the ETF market that cheap index trackers mostly own: one country, one team's picks, and a price tag to match.

Stated mandate

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

MKOR The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

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

• MKOR Active by design: the managers pick Korean stocks in pursuit of long-term capital appreciation instead of owning whatever an index prints.
• Run by an Asia-focused shop, and the portfolio sits where the filings say it should: South Korean equities, no drift into the neighbors.
• A plain 1940 Act fund wrapper holding stocks. No notes, no partnership paperwork, and a strategy whose history goes back to a 2010 launch.

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.

• MKOR 0.79% a year is real money against the roughly 0.50% median for single-country funds, and passive Korea rivals like FLKR charge 0.09%.
• Thinly traded and one of the smaller funds in its category, so wider spreads are part of the deal.
• Everything rides on one market, with no other countries to cushion a rough stretch in Korea. Cash comes back once or twice a year, not monthly.

Full EWC profile⁠

Full MKOR profile⁠