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 is a Single Country - Developed fund issued by iShares, managing $23.5 billion in assets. It holds a B grade (70.9/100) and ranks 6th out of 18 peers in its category, placing it 108th among all 458 tracked ETFs. With an expense ratio of 0.49%, it costs slightly less than the category median of 0.5%. The fund offers a dividend yield of 3.79%, which exceeds the category median of 3.49%. Its top 10 holdings comprise 30.1% of assets, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. representing the largest single position at 4.6%.

The fund is priced at $94.10, sitting at 71.3% of its 52-week range between $79.48 and $99.98. Short-term returns show weakness, with declines of 0.53% over one day and 1.78% over one month. This contrasts with stronger long-term momentum, as the fund gained 19.43% over the past year, outperforming the category median of 15.82%. Year-to-date performance stands at 16.33%, while the three-year return is 76.23%. The ETFValuer grade was downgraded from B+ to B on 2026-10-19, and price history is available for 3.0 years.

The fund exhibits a beta of 0.83, indicating it moves 83% as much as the broader market. Annualized volatility is 20.72%, which is labeled as Moderate, while the maximum drawdown has reached -14.68%. A Sharpe ratio of 0.70 suggests the return generated per unit of risk taken. Liquidity is robust, with an average daily volume of 3,792,470 shares. These metrics collectively describe a fund that has experienced moderate price swings and significant historical drawdowns.

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

EWJ Top Holdings

Holdings as of 2026-08-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 30.1% 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 10 of the same companies as EWJ's top 10 (30.1% 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: 4.96% (as of 2026-10-22) — 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): 19.03 (as of 2026-10-22) — 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: 3.75% (as of 2026-09-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.

EWJ Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment

Liquidity: Average daily volume is 3.8M/day. Higher volume and a larger fund generally mean lower round-trip trading costs. AUM of $23.5B 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