EWJ — iShares MSCI Japan ETF

EWJ Price Performance — Growth of $10,000

Value of a $10,000 investment in EWJ over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.

EWJ Drawdown

The "underwater" chart: EWJ's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.

Overview

The iShares MSCI Japan ETF (EWJ) is a Single Country - Developed fund issued by iShares with $22.7 billion in assets under management. It holds a B grade (72.0/100) and ranks 6 of 18 within its category, placing it 82 of 458 across all tracked ETFs. The 0.49% expense ratio sits slightly below the category median of 0.5%, while its 0.72% dividend yield trails the median of 1.52%. Top 10 holdings comprise 28.2% of assets, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. representing the largest single position at 4.1%.

Price action shows the fund trading at $98.28, near the top of its 52-week range at 97.5%. Short-term momentum is evident with a 1-month return of +3.29% accelerating into an 8.92% gain over three months. This acceleration continues over the longer term, resulting in a 1-year return of +30.21% and a 3-year total of +72.07%. The 1-year performance exceeds the category median of +27.75%, though the fund has only 3.0 years of price history available. The B grade has remained unchanged across the last 35 tracked days.

With a beta of 0.86, the fund exhibits lower sensitivity to market movements compared to the broader market. Annualized volatility of 21.01% is classified as Moderate, while a maximum drawdown of -14.68% indicates the largest peak-to-trough decline recorded. A Sharpe ratio of 1.20 suggests favorable risk-adjusted returns relative to the volatility experienced. Liquidity is supported by an average daily volume of 4,742,393 shares, despite a bid/ask spread of 1.49%.

AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.

EWJ Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-05-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 28.2% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how EWJ's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.

Which Funds Overlap With EWJ

Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with EWJ's top 10 — BBJP overlaps most, holding 9 of the same companies as EWJ's top 10 (26.2% of EWJ's assets).

Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.

Market Backdrop

10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.77% (as of 2026-09-03) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.

CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 14.32 (as of 2026-09-03) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.

Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-08-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

EWJ Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 1.49% and average daily volume is 4.7M/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $22.7B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.

Domicile & tax treatment: EWJ is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.

EWJ Performance History

How EWJ Compares to Other Single Country - Developed ETFs