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iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (EZA)
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

ETF Info

ISIN
US4642867802
CUSIP
464286780
Issuer
iShares
Inception Date
Feb 7, 2003
Region
North America (U.S.)
Leveraged
1x (No leverage)
Index Tracked
MSCI South Africa Index
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Equity
Asset Class Size
Large-Cap
Asset Class Style
Blend

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (EZA) has returned -1.45% so far this year and 50.34% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, EZA has returned 7.70% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.


iShares MSCI South Africa ETF

1D
5.57%
1M
-16.91%
YTD
-1.45%
6M
11.56%
1Y
50.34%
3Y*
23.56%
5Y*
10.86%
10Y*
7.70%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 7, 2003, EZA's average daily return is +0.06%, while the average monthly return is +1.05%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 5.5 years.

Historically, 58% of months were positive and 42% were negative. The best month was Mar 2009 with a return of +21.5%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -29.6%. The longest winning streak lasted 9 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, EZA closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 28, 2008 with a return of +22.9%, while the worst single day was Oct 15, 2008 at -20.1%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20266.40%11.48%-16.91%-1.45%
20254.39%1.49%8.40%2.89%5.43%4.17%-1.30%8.71%11.15%-0.51%4.66%8.73%75.20%
2024-6.15%-5.28%5.44%2.43%1.17%8.42%5.06%3.19%7.33%-2.06%-3.87%-7.09%7.16%
20236.51%-9.28%3.03%1.73%-13.76%9.29%12.12%-12.31%-3.81%-0.61%8.16%4.61%1.51%
20229.33%3.80%5.45%-13.67%0.90%-10.27%-0.09%-6.15%-9.54%5.41%17.00%-3.10%-5.18%
20210.21%5.28%6.77%-0.10%7.62%-7.11%-0.92%2.09%-4.84%-0.00%-4.55%4.42%7.91%

Benchmark Metrics

iShares MSCI South Africa ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.30%, beta of 1.25, and R² of 0.49 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 10, 2003.

  • This ETF captured 114.37% of S&P 500 Index gains and 113.51% of its losses — amplifying both gains and losses, but participating more in upside than downside.
  • R² of 0.49 means the benchmark explains less than half of this ETF's behavior — treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.

Alpha
1.30%
Beta
1.25
0.49
Upside Capture
114.37%
Downside Capture
113.51%

Expense Ratio

EZA has an expense ratio of 0.59%, placing it in the medium range.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

EZA ranks 78 for risk / return — better than 78% of ETFs on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.


EZA Risk / Return Rank: 7878
Overall Rank
EZA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8282
Sharpe Ratio Rank
EZA Sortino Ratio Rank: 7878
Sortino Ratio Rank
EZA Omega Ratio Rank: 7575
Omega Ratio Rank
EZA Calmar Ratio Rank: 7979
Calmar Ratio Rank
EZA Martin Ratio Rank: 7878
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (EZA) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


EZABenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

1.61

0.90

+0.72

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

2.07

1.39

+0.69

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.29

1.21

+0.08

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

2.23

1.40

+0.83

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

8.78

6.61

+2.17

Explore EZA risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

iShares MSCI South Africa ETF provided a 6.25% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $4.24 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.


2.00%4.00%6.00%8.00%10.00%12.00%$0.00$1.00$2.00$3.00$4.00$5.00$6.0020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$4.24$4.24$3.04$1.19$1.66$0.95$2.42$6.02$1.92$1.08$2.15$1.41

Dividend yield

6.25%6.16%7.26%2.84%3.90%2.05%5.51%12.27%3.81%1.55%4.10%3.03%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for iShares MSCI South Africa ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00
2025$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.63$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$3.61$4.24
2024$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.63$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$2.42$3.04
2023$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.68$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.51$1.19
2022$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$1.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.66$1.66
2021$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.49$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.46$0.95

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the iShares MSCI South Africa ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the iShares MSCI South Africa ETF was 64.64%, occurring on Oct 27, 2008. Recovery took 486 trading sessions.

The current iShares MSCI South Africa ETF drawdown is 16.91%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-64.64%Nov 1, 2007249Oct 27, 2008486Oct 1, 2010735
-62.25%Jan 29, 2018541Mar 23, 20201300May 23, 20251841
-45.01%Apr 29, 2015184Jan 20, 2016486Dec 21, 2017670
-29.56%May 10, 200634Jun 27, 2006164Feb 22, 2007198
-25.97%May 2, 2011108Oct 3, 2011656May 14, 2014764

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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