EWC vs NORW

EWCAiShares MSCI Canada ETF

NORWCGlobal X MSCI Norway 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.

NORW Norway in one ticker: not a skim of the blue chips, but the large, mid and small caps that make up nearly all of Oslo's investable market, with index caps that keep any single giant from taking over.

Stated mandate

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

NORW NORW seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MSCI Norway IMI 25/50 Index.

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

• NORW The index reaches past the blue chips: large, mid and small caps covering roughly 99% of Norway's free-float market value, about 60 stocks in all.msci.com
• A 25/50 capping rule borrowed from US fund tax law holds any one component to 25% of the index, so a single national champion cannot quietly become the whole fund.msci.commsci.com 2
• Trading since 2010 under Global X, at a 0.50% expense ratio that sits right at the median for single-country developed-market funds.globalxetfs.com

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.

• NORW That 0.50% is median, not cheap. Broad single-country peers like FLKR and FLAU charge 0.09%, though neither one buys Norway.
• One country, one currency, about 60 stocks. Results are measured in US dollars, so krone swings land in your return alongside the stocks themselves.msci.com
• Distributions arrive once or twice a year rather than monthly, and volume is moderate rather than deep, which can matter on larger orders.

Full EWC profile⁠

Full NORW profile⁠