What distinguishes the geographic focus of EWY from the sector focus of SOXX?

EWY is a region-focused ETF tracking the South Korea market via the MSCI South Korea Index, offering exposure to diverse South Korean sectors including technology and consumer goods. SOXX is a sector-focused ETF tracking the S&P 500 Semiconductor Index, providing concentrated exposure to the semiconductor industry in the US. EWY provides broad South Korea exposure, while SOXX targets the specific semiconductor industry. This makes EWY useful for regional investing and SOXX useful for industry investing.

How do expense ratios of EWY and SOXX differ, and what does this mean for investors?

EWY has a higher expense ratio than SOXX. SOXX charges 0.33% annually, while EWY charges 0.59%. EWY costs 0.26 percentage points more per year. For a $100,000 investment, this means EWY costs $590 and SOXX costs $330 annually. This difference compounds over long investment horizons, affecting net returns for both funds.

What are the net assets and dividend yields of EWY and SOXX?

EWY has $26.3 billion in net assets with a 1.08% dividend yield, offering regular income from its holdings. SOXX has $45.4 billion in net assets with a 0.22% dividend yield. While both funds are sizeable, SOXX has larger assets and lower yields. EWY’s yield reflects the income distribution characteristics typical of South Korean dividend-paying companies, whereas SOXX’s low yield is due to the high-growth nature of semiconductor companies reinvesting profits into R&D and expansion rather than distributing them as dividends.

What types of holding concentrations characterize EWY and SOXX?

The holdings concentration for EWY is not available. For SOXX, the largest holdings are INTC at 9.23%, AMD at 9.05%, MU at 8.06%, NVDA at 7.66%, AVGO at 7.35%, MRVL at 4.39%, QCOM at 3.97%, ADI at 3.95%, TXN at 3.89%, and KLAC at 3.84%. These companies dominate the semiconductor sector and account for approximately 63% of the fund’s portfolio. In comparison, EWY’s top holdings are not available, but the fund generally has broad exposure across various sectors of the South Korean economy.

How do the dividend yields of EWY and SOXX compare?

EWY’s yield is 1.08%, and SOXX’s is 0.22%. EWY is 0.86 percentage points higher. EWY typically invests in large companies in South Korea that offer moderate income, while SOXX tracks the semiconductor sector which is known for low yields due to high valuations of growth stocks. This difference reflects the general characteristics of emerging markets versus growth sectors.

How should beginners interpret the shared top-10 holdings between EWY and SOXX?

The comparison reveals that none of the top 10 holdings of SOXX are present in the data available for EWY's top 10 holdings, which are listed as not available. This lack of overlap means that the funds are tracking entirely different markets and sectors. Beginners should interpret this as a sign that the funds are complementary rather than redundant. They provide different risk and return profiles based on their underlying markets.

What does it mean for a fund to have a lower dividend yield like SOXX?

A fund with a lower dividend yield like SOXX, at 0.22%, indicates that the companies held in the fund return more profits to shareholders through share buybacks or growth in stock price rather than cash dividends. This suggests that investors hold SOXX for growth rather than income, expecting the underlying companies' stock prices to rise as they expand, rather than expecting regular cash payments.

What does the higher dividend yield of EWY suggest?

A higher dividend yield like EWY's 1.08% suggests that the companies held in the fund distribute more cash to shareholders. In developed markets like South Korea, established companies often have steady cash flows and may choose to pay out dividends. Investors holding EWY might expect a combination of moderate growth and reliable income from these dividends.

What types of market exposure does EWY provide compared to SOXX?

EWY provides exposure to the broader South Korean market, including companies in technology, consumer, and industrial sectors. SOXX provides focused exposure to the US semiconductor industry, including large and mid-cap companies involved in chip design, manufacturing, and equipment. EWY is suitable for regional diversification, while SOXX is suitable for sector-specific growth investing. The two funds offer completely different investment theses.

Why might EWY not have top holdings listed?

It is not available. Sometimes data sources list top holdings as not available for certain regional ETFs like EWY. This could be due to the sheer volume of holdings, frequent changes, or data reporting delays. However, even without the specific top 10 list, investors can assume EWY holds large-cap companies with significant weight in South Korea’s MSCI Index.

EWY vs SOXX

Two funds, one decision: we compare cost, performance and what each ETF actually holds in September 2026.

This page compares the iShares South Korea MSCI Capped ETF (EWY) and the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX). Explore their expense ratios, net assets, dividend yields, and holdings to see how each tracks its market. EWY charges 0.59% and yields 1.08%, while SOXX charges 0.33% and yields 0.22%. Educational content, not financial advice.

This page compares the iShares South Korea MSCI Capped ETF (EWY) and the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX). Explore their expense ratios, net assets, dividend yields, and holdings to see how each track...

Fund Snapshot

Key Fund Metrics

EWY

Metric

SOXX

0.59%

Expense Ratio

0.33%

1.08%

Dividend Yield

0.22%

$26.29B

Net Assets

$45.37B

89

Holdings

34

May 9, 2000

Inception Date

Jul 10, 2001

–

Index Tracked

–

Focused Region

Fund Category

Technology

SOXX costs about $26.00 less per year for every $10,000 invested.

Shared Top Holdings

These funds do not share any of their top holdings.

Discover More Comparisons

EWY vs FLKR

EWY vs FLKR compared: 0.59% vs 0.09% expense ratio for South Korea exposure, MSCI vs FTSE index, SK hynix and Samsung weights, yield, size and fit.

EWY vs KORU

Compare EWY and KORU on fees, dividends, and tracking. Review expense ratios of 0.59% versus 1.32% and yields of 1.08% against 0.35% for these South Korea ETFs.

SOXL vs SOXX

Compare SOXL and SOXX ETFs. Review 0.75% vs 0.33% expense ratios, holdings, yields and 3x leveraged daily tracking differences for semiconductor investors.

Investment Analysis

EWY

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SOXX

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