EZA vs. KSA
Compare and contrast key facts about iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (EZA) and iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA).
EZA and KSA are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. EZA is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI South Africa Index. It was launched on Feb 7, 2003. KSA is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI Saudi Arabia Investable Market Index (IMI) 25/50 Index. It was launched on Sep 16, 2015. Both EZA and KSA are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.
Performance
EZA vs. KSA - Performance Comparison
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EZA vs. KSA - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EZA iShares MSCI South Africa ETF | -1.45% | 75.20% | 7.16% | 1.51% | -5.18% | 7.91% | -5.19% | 9.83% | -25.24% | 36.03% |
KSA iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF | 9.17% | -8.20% | -0.19% | 15.05% | -6.06% | 33.62% | 2.65% | 9.30% | 13.07% | 6.14% |
Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, EZA achieves a -1.45% return, which is significantly lower than KSA's 9.17% return. Over the past 10 years, EZA has underperformed KSA with an annualized return of 7.70%, while KSA has yielded a comparatively higher 8.88% annualized return.
EZA
- 1D
- 5.57%
- 1M
- -16.91%
- YTD
- -1.45%
- 6M
- 11.56%
- 1Y
- 50.34%
- 3Y*
- 23.56%
- 5Y*
- 10.86%
- 10Y*
- 7.70%
KSA
- 1D
- 2.47%
- 1M
- 6.94%
- YTD
- 9.17%
- 6M
- -0.86%
- 1Y
- -1.07%
- 3Y*
- 3.88%
- 5Y*
- 4.57%
- 10Y*
- 8.88%
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EZA vs. KSA - Expense Ratio Comparison
EZA has a 0.59% expense ratio, which is lower than KSA's 0.74% expense ratio.
Return for Risk
EZA vs. KSA — Risk / Return Rank
EZA
KSA
EZA vs. KSA - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (EZA) and iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.
| EZA | KSA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | 1.61 | -0.06 | +1.67 |
Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | 2.07 | 0.05 | +2.02 |
Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.29 | 1.01 | +0.29 |
Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.23 | -0.03 | +2.26 |
Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 8.78 | -0.05 | +8.83 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| EZA | KSA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 1.61 | -0.06 | +1.67 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.39 | 0.29 | +0.10 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | 0.25 | 0.44 | -0.19 |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | 0.29 | 0.33 | -0.04 |
Correlation
The correlation between EZA and KSA is 0.37, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.
Dividends
EZA vs. KSA - Dividend Comparison
EZA's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.25%, more than KSA's 2.70% yield.
| TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EZA iShares MSCI South Africa ETF | 6.25% | 6.16% | 7.26% | 2.84% | 3.90% | 2.05% | 5.51% | 12.27% | 3.81% | 1.55% | 4.10% | 3.03% |
KSA iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF | 2.70% | 2.95% | 3.44% | 2.44% | 1.93% | 1.58% | 1.76% | 2.15% | 2.51% | 2.30% | 3.05% | 0.04% |
Drawdowns
EZA vs. KSA - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum EZA drawdown since its inception was -64.64%, which is greater than KSA's maximum drawdown of -40.56%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for EZA and KSA.
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Drawdown Indicators
| EZA | KSA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -64.64% | -40.56% | -24.08% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -23.31% | -11.62% | -11.69% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -34.94% | -28.08% | -6.86% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -62.25% | -40.56% | -21.69% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -16.91% | -13.35% | -3.56% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -16.94% | -11.38% | -5.56% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 5.93% | 6.51% | -0.58% |
Volatility
EZA vs. KSA - Volatility Comparison
iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (EZA) has a higher volatility of 15.36% compared to iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA) at 7.02%. This indicates that EZA's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than KSA based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| EZA | KSA | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 15.36% | 7.02% | +8.34% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 25.09% | 12.13% | +12.96% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 31.39% | 18.17% | +13.22% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 28.33% | 15.94% | +12.39% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 31.31% | 20.17% | +11.14% |