EFA vs IWM: Complete Comparison

iShares MSCI EAFE ETF vs iShares Russell 2000 ETF — overlap, correlation, performance & risk analysis

Holdings Overlap
0.00%
Very Low Overlap
Shared Holdings
0 of 17
Complete portfolio analysis
Calculation Method
Min Weight
Weighted intersection

Visual Overlap

EFA
IWM
0.0%
EFA Only
Overlap
IWM Only

Price Performance

Historical price comparison over 3M

EFA Return
+3.87%
IWM Return
+8.85%
Winner
IWM
+4.98%
Max Drawdown
EFA: -11.4%
IWM: -11.0%
EFA Volatility (annualized)20.03%
IWM Volatility (annualized)20.28%

📈 Comparison

Metric
EFA
IWM
1 Year Return
+14.5%
+18.5%
3 Year Return
+5.2%
+4.2%
5 Year Return
+8.5%
+10.5%
Volatility
19.50%
24.80%
Expense Ratio
0.32%
0.19%
⚠️ Past performance does not guarantee future results. Data may be delayed.

⚠️Risk Metrics

Metric
EFA
IWM
Volatility
19.50%
24.80%
Sharpe Ratio
0.38
0.38
Sortino Ratio
0.52
0.52
Max Drawdown
-42.50%
-41.50%
Beta
0.85
1.25

Interpretation:

  • 📊 Lower volatility = smoother ride
  • ⚡ Higher Sharpe/Sortino = better risk-adjusted returns
  • ⚠️ Smaller max drawdown = less worst-case pain
  • 📈 Beta > 1 = more volatile than S&P 500

⚔️ Comparison

2 - 6

🏆 IWM wins this comparison

Key Factors

💰 Expense Ratio
EFA:0.32%
vs
IWM:0.19%
🎯 Number of Holdings
EFA:827 holdings
vs
IWM:1,983 holdings
📈 5-Year Return
EFA:+8.5%
vs
IWM:+10.5%
Additional Metrics (5)
⚖️ Concentration Risk
EFA: 1.6% in top 10
IWM: 5.3% in top 10
📊 Assets Under Management
EFA: $75B ✓
IWM: $60B ✓
Sharpe Ratio
EFA: 0.38
IWM: 0.38
📉 Volatility
EFA: 19.5%
IWM: 24.8%
🔍 Uniqueness vs SPY
EFA: 100.0% unique
IWM: 100.0% unique

Bottom line: IWM wins with better expense ratio and number of holdings. Consider IWM for your portfolio, but EFA is still a solid choice if you prefer its specific advantages.

Detailed Overlap Analysis

0 shared holdings representing 0.0% portfolio overlap

Top Shared Holdings

#StockEFA WeightIWM WeightOverlap
0
Shared Stocks
0.0%
Total Overlap
0
Sectors Represented

Top Holdings Only in EFA

Unique to EFA

Scroll horizontally to see all data
SymbolNameWeight
RACERACE0.24%
SESE0.24%
NBISNBIS0.22%
ALCALC0.20%
WDSWDS0.16%

Top Holdings Only in IWM

Unique to IWM

Scroll horizontally to see all data
SymbolNameWeight
CRDOCREDO TECHNOLOGY GROUP HOLDING LTD0.86%
BEBLOOM ENERGY CLASS A CORP0.80%
FNFABRINET0.62%
IONQIONQ INC0.51%
NXTNEXTPOWER INC CLASS A0.44%

Price Correlation

How We Calculate Overlap

We use the minimum weight method with normalization to calculate portfolio overlap:

Overlap = Σ min(weightA, weightB) for each shared holding

Normalization: Holdings weights are normalized to sum to 100% before comparison. This ensures accurate overlap calculations even when analyzing partial holdings data (e.g., top 50 positions).

Conservative approach: We consider only the smaller allocation for each shared position, giving you a realistic view of true portfolio overlap.

📊 This analysis is based on publicly available holdings data. For the most current and complete holdings information, please visit the official ETF provider websites.

Want deeper analysis on EFA or IWM?

Complement your EigenDex analysis with these research tools.

Some links may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support EigenDex as a free tool. We only recommend tools we believe provide genuine value to investors.

Compare More ETFs