iShares MSCI Singapore ETF

The iShares MSCI Singapore ETF (EWS) is a BlackRock index fund that tracks the MSCI Singapore 25/50 Index, which covers large and mid-size Singaporean companies. It is highly concentrated. As of August 31, 2026, DBS Group and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. made up nearly half the fund. Its 0.50% expense ratio is higher than that of broader Asia-Pacific funds. The trailing yield was 3.85% as of October 27, 2026, paid twice a year.

• Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, EWS returned +12.2%, 2nd of 3 among similar funds.
• Its 5-year annualized return was +10.4% and its 10-year +8.7%.
• In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 33.6% and regained its old high 9.6 months after the low.
• Its worst full calendar year was 2008 (-46.1%); its best was 2009 (+68.1%).
• The deepest fall in its price history was 63.8% (Oct 9, 2007 to Mar 9, 2009), recovered by Nov 2, 2010.

As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 17 securities; the ten largest made up 79.3% of assets.

• Over the three months to Aug 31, 2026, investors added a net $314.5M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
• Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +2.28%, +8.84%, +5.68%.

EWS tracks the MSCI Singapore 25/50 Index, which MSCI builds and maintains independently of BlackRock. The index covers the large- and mid-size segments of Singapore's stock market. It is weighted by free float-adjusted market capitalization. That means bigger companies get bigger weights, counting only the shares available for public trading. Consumer goods and services, financials and industrials made up a large share of the index as of August 31, 2025.

The "25/50" in the name refers to a cap. No single corporate group can exceed 25% of the index. All groups weighing more than 5% can add up to no more than 50%. MSCI rebalances the index every quarter, keeping it as close as possible to the uncapped MSCI Singapore Index. As of August 31, 2026, DBS Group (23.8%) and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (22.3%) sat just under those limits.

BlackRock uses "representative sampling": it may hold a sample of index stocks that behaves like the whole index, rather than every stock. At least 80% of assets go into index stocks or close equivalents. Up to 20% can go into futures, swaps, cash and other holdings. As of August 31, 2026, derivatives, including swaps on Singapore Exchange shares, were about 1.1% of assets. The fund may lend out securities worth up to one-third of its assets. It never shifts to cash when markets fall. Portfolio turnover was 21%.

• EWS charges 0.5% a year, versus an average of 0.33% for the similar funds below (3rd of 3, cheapest first).
• Of that, 0.49% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
• Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $51 in the first year and $628 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).

It is a single-country fund, and as of August 31, 2026, two banks made up nearly half its assets, so it is better suited to a small slice of a portfolio than to the core.

EWS could add exposure to Singapore's banks, industrial groups and property trusts. It also pays income: the trailing yield was 3.85% as of October 27, 2026, paid semiannually. Its losses have been deep. It fell 63.8% from October 2007 to March 2009 and did not recover until November 2010. In 2008 alone it lost 46.1%. It fell 33.6% in the 2020 COVID crash and took 9.6 months to recover. In 2022 it fell 23.8% and did not regain its peak until July 2024. Anyone who had to sell shares or draw income during those stretches would have locked in losses. Over the 10 years through December 31, 2024, the prospectus shows a 2.45% average annual return. Annual costs are 0.50%. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.

Matched by closest holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports (no similar fund shares 20% or more of its holdings).