Key stats
About iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund
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Inception date
Mar 12, 1996
Structure
Open-Ended Fund
Dividend treatment
Distributes
Distribution tax treatment
Qualified dividends
Income tax type
Capital Gains
Max ST capital gains rate
39.60%
Max LT capital gains rate
20.00%
Primary advisor
BlackRock Fund Advisors
Distributor
BlackRock Investments LLC
EWJ provides broad exposure to the Japanese equity market. It was the first Japan-focused ETF to launch in 1996 and quickly became the bellwether for US-based investors wanting Japanese market exposure. The fund excludes the bottom 15% of Japanese companies by market cap, which tilts it slightly larger than our broad benchmark. Otherwise, EWJ is well aligned with the Japanese stock market. While its headline expense ratio stands out as high versus segment peers, actual holding costs as measured by tracking data are more competitive. The fund is a titan when it comes to both on-screen and block liquidity. Ease of trading and massive AUM make EWJ a staple in the segment and combined with marketlike exposure earn the nod for Analyst Pick.
Classification
Returns
1 month | 3 months | Year to date | 1 year | 3 years | 5 years | |
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Price performance | — | — | — | — | — | — |
NAV total return | — | — | — | — | — | — |
What's in the fund
Exposure type
Finance
Consumer Durables
Electronic Technology
Producer Manufacturing
Stocks99.55%
Finance17.61%
Consumer Durables12.51%
Electronic Technology12.28%
Producer Manufacturing11.94%
Health Technology8.12%
Technology Services6.71%
Communications4.78%
Consumer Non-Durables4.46%
Retail Trade4.43%
Process Industries4.37%
Distribution Services4.24%
Transportation2.60%
Utilities1.18%
Consumer Services0.99%
Commercial Services0.86%
Non-Energy Minerals0.86%
Industrial Services0.82%
Energy Minerals0.80%
Bonds, Cash & Other0.45%
Cash0.45%
Stock breakdown by region
Asia100.00%
North America0.00%
Latin America0.00%
Europe0.00%
Africa0.00%
Middle East0.00%
Oceania0.00%
Top 10 holdings
Dividends
Dividend payout history