EWG vs FLCA

EWGBiShares MSCI Germany ETF

FLCAAFranklin FTSE Canada ETF

In short

EWG Germany in one ticker, and it has been doing that job since 1996. Roughly 50 large German companies, tracked closely, at a fee a hair under the typical single-country fund.

FLCA Canada in one ticker, at index-fund pricing. FLCA tracks the FTSE Canada Capped Index, about 50 large- and mid-cap Canadian names, for 0.09% a year.

Stated mandate

EWG The fund seeks to track an index of German equities, providing targeted exposure to companies in Germany.

FLCA The fund seeks to track the FTSE Canada Capped Index, which measures the performance of Canadian large- and mid-capitalization stocks.

Why people hold it

• EWG Trading since 1996, it is one of the original single-country ETFs, and it stays actively traded with billions in assets behind it.
• Sticks closely to its benchmark, the MSCI Germany Index, so the index is a fair read on what the fund is doing.
• The 0.49% fee lands just under the typical developed single-country fund, and it buys the German blue-chip market in one trade.
• Rated among the stronger implementations in its developed single-country peer group.

• FLCA 0.09% a year against a 0.45% median for index-tracking ETFs. On plain-vanilla country exposure, the fee gap is most of the story.
• The mandate is refreshingly plain: the FTSE Canada Capped Index, Canadian large and mid caps, no factor tilts, no derivatives overlay.
• Live since 2017 and one of the stronger implementations in a crowded field of index trackers.

Worth knowing

• EWG About 50 stocks in one economy: a handful of German industrial and financial giants carry much of the weight.
• Cheaper entries into single-country developed markets exist (Franklin's FLAU charges 0.09%), though they track different countries.
• Distributions land once or twice a year, not monthly.

• FLCA About 50 stocks in one country. That is a targeted slice of the world, not a diversified core.
• Mid-sized and moderately traded, so limit orders are the sane way in and out.
• Distributions arrive once or twice a year rather than quarterly, which matters if you spend the income.

Full EWG profile⁠

Full FLCA profile⁠