FLKR vs FLTW

FLKRBFranklin FTSE South Korea ETF

FLTWBFranklin FTSE Taiwan ETF

In short

FLKR Korea in one passive basket for 0.09% a year, a fraction of the 0.50% typical single-country fee. Roughly 160 Korean names tracking a capped FTSE index, run as plain index plumbing rather than a stock-picking bet.

FLTW Taiwan in one ticker, priced like a core index fund. FLTW passively tracks a capped FTSE index of roughly 60 Taiwanese stocks for 0.19% a year, well under half the typical fee among index-tracking ETFs.

Stated mandate

FLKR The Fund uses a passive indexing approach to seek returns that closely correspond, before fees and expenses, to the FTSE South Korea Capped Index.

FLTW The Fund seeks investment results that, before fees and expenses, closely track the FTSE Taiwan RIC Capped Index.

Why people hold it

• FLKR Charges 0.09% a year against a 0.50% median for single-country developed-market ETFs, tying FLAU as the cheapest fee among this cohort's leaders and undercutting EWC and EWU by a wide margin.
• Straight indexing: it seeks returns that closely correspond, before fees, to the FTSE South Korea Capped Index. No manager views, no discretionary tilts.
• The capped index spreads roughly 160 stocks and limits how far any single giant can dominate the basket, which matters in a market this top-heavy.
• A billion-dollar-plus fund that trades actively, and it has been running since 2017, so it is well past the launch-window stage.

• FLTW 0.19% a year, against a 0.45% median for index-tracking peers. Single-country exposure usually costs more than this.
• A billion-dollar-plus fund that trades actively, so getting in and out is rarely the hard part.
• Rules-based and capped: the FTSE Taiwan RIC Capped Index limits how heavy any single name can get, in a market where one chipmaker looms large.
• Live since 2017 and one of the stronger builds among the index trackers we grade.

Worth knowing

• FLKR One country, one currency. Korean shares price in won, so the exchange rate is baked into what a US investor sees, separate from how the companies do.
• Roughly 160 stocks in a single export-driven market is a narrow slice next to a global fund. Capping softens concentration, it does not erase it.
• Distributions land annually or semiannually, not monthly, so it is built as an equity holding rather than an income schedule.

• FLTW Roughly 60 stocks in one country. Taiwan-specific news moves the whole fund, with no other market to cushion it.
• Holdings trade in New Taiwan dollars, so the currency swing rides along with the stocks in your US-dollar return.
• Distributions land once or twice a year, not monthly.

Full FLKR profile⁠

Full FLTW profile⁠