Better iShares International ETF: IEFA vs. IXUS

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While some the iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF (NASDAQ:IXUS) and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEMKT:IEFA) way non-U.S. equities with the aforesaid disbursal ratio, IXUS includes emerging markets for broader exposure, whereas IEFA offers a somewhat higher output and is focused solely connected developed markets.

Both IXUS and IEFA purpose to springiness investors entree to planetary equities, but their sum differs: IXUS includes some developed and emerging markets, portion IEFA is constricted to developed markets extracurricular the U.S. and Canada. This examination unpacks however those differences play retired successful cost, performance, risk, and portfolio makeup.

Metric

IXUS

IEFA

Issuer

IShares

IShares

Expense ratio

0.07%

0.07%

1-yr instrumentality (as of 2026-01-30)

37.7%

34.9%

Dividend yield

3.2%

3.6%

Beta

1.02

1.03

AUM

$51.9 billion

$162.6 billion

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from five-year play returns. The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months.

Both funds are arsenic affordable connected fees, but IEFA offers a modestly higher dividend yield, which whitethorn entreaty to income-focused investors.

Metric

IXUS

IEFA

Max drawdown (5 y)

-30.05%

-30.41%

Growth of $1,000 implicit 5 years

$1,305

$1,353

IEFA tracks developed markets successful Europe, Australasia, and the Far East, holding 2,589 companies with a assemblage tilt toward fiscal services (22%), industrials (20%), and healthcare (11%). Its largest positions are ASML, Roche, and HSBC, and the money has been operating for 13.3 years. IEFA excludes emerging markets, which tin little volatility but whitethorn bounds upside imaginable during beardown emerging marketplace cycles.

In contrast, IXUS holds implicit 4,100 stocks and covers some developed and emerging markets, offering broader diversification. Its assemblage allocations thin toward fiscal services, industrials, and basal materials, with apical holdings successful Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, ASML, and Samsung Electronics. This makes IXUS a much broad planetary enactment for those seeking vulnerability beyond developed economies.

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Choosing betwixt the iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF (IXUS) and the iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF (IEFA) comes down to what benignant of vulnerability investors privation for their portfolio.

IEFA’s absorption connected developed markets, excluding North America, means it avoids the volatility of emerging markets, and its ample assets nether absorption of $162.6 cardinal provides precocious liquidity. However, investors miss retired connected the high-growth imaginable of emerging markets.

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