EZM vs IMCB

EZMCWisdomTree U.S. MidCap Fund

IMCBAiShares Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF

In short

EZM A 2007-vintage twist on mid caps: EZM's index only takes U.S. companies that actually generate earnings, then holds roughly 600 of them. Profit screen first, size second.

IMCB Mid-cap America for four basis points, running since 2004. It samples Morningstar's US mid-cap index across roughly 400 stocks and hews to that benchmark about as closely as anything in its category.

Stated mandate

EZM The fund seeks to track earnings-generating mid-cap companies in the U.S. equity market.

IMCB The Fund seeks to track an index of mid-capitalization U.S. equities. It uses indexing and representative sampling rather than trying to outperform the index.

Why people hold it

• EZM The index screens for earnings-generating U.S. mid caps, so unprofitable names don't ride in on size alone.wisdomtree.com
• Roughly 600 holdings spread the exposure across the mid-cap field instead of leaning on a handful of names.
• Live since 2007, through the financial crisis and everything after, and it pays quarterly.
• Stays in its declared lane: U.S., equity, mid cap, tracking the published WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Index with tight fidelity to that mandate.wisdomtree.com

• IMCB Costs 0.04% a year, against roughly 0.15% typical for the mid-cap group.
• Indexing, not opinions: representative sampling of the Morningstar US Mid Cap Index, with tracking among the tightest in its peer group.ishares.com
• Trading since 2004 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, so there is a long operating history here, not a launch-year story.
• About 400 names covering both the growth and value sides of US mid caps, so no style tilt is baked in.

Worth knowing

• EZM The screen costs money: 0.38% a year against a 0.15% category median, while plain cap-weighted rivals VO and SCHM run 0.03%.
• It trades thinly next to the category's giants, so spreads can be wider when you go to buy or sell.
• An earnings screen builds a different basket than a standard cap-weighted mid-cap index, so results will diverge from that benchmark in both directions.

• IMCB Thinly traded next to the category's household names, so spreads and order handling matter more at the moment of a trade.
• All US, all stocks: mid caps move harder than mega caps, and nothing else in the portfolio cushions an equity selloff.
• VO and SCHM cover similar ground at 0.03%, so the cost edge here is over the group average rather than over the cheapest rivals.

Full EZM profile⁠

Full IMCB profile⁠