GSEU vs. EWU

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF (GSEU) and iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU).

GSEU and EWU are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. GSEU is a passively managed fund by Goldman Sachs that tracks the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity Index. It was launched on Mar 2, 2016. EWU is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the MSCI United Kingdom Index. It was launched on Mar 12, 1996. Both GSEU and EWU 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

GSEU vs. EWU - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF (GSEU) and iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

GSEU vs. EWU - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
GSEU Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF	0.39%	35.70%	2.00%	20.74%	-17.90%	17.33%	6.64%	24.57%	-14.29%	26.97%
EWU iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF	5.39%	34.95%	6.74%	12.40%	-4.39%	18.19%	-11.80%	21.29%	-14.30%	21.54%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, GSEU achieves a 0.39% return, which is significantly lower than EWU's 5.39% return. Over the past 10 years, GSEU has outperformed EWU with an annualized return of 8.98%, while EWU has yielded a comparatively lower 8.23% annualized return.

GSEU

• 1D: 1.48%
• 1M: -4.54%
• YTD: 0.39%
• 6M: 5.00%
• 1Y: 22.46%
• 3Y*: 14.82%
• 5Y*: 8.87%
• 10Y*: 8.98%

EWU

• 1D: 1.73%
• 1M: -3.68%
• YTD: 5.39%
• 6M: 11.17%
• 1Y: 28.77%
• 3Y*: 17.49%
• 5Y*: 12.27%
• 10Y*: 8.23%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

GSEU vs. EWU - Expense Ratio Comparison

GSEU has a 0.25% expense ratio, which is lower than EWU's 0.50% expense ratio.

EWU

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

GSEU

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF

Return for Risk

GSEU vs. EWU — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

GSEU

GSEU Risk / Return Rank: 68
GSEU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 70
GSEU Sortino Ratio Rank: 69
GSEU Omega Ratio Rank: 68
GSEU Calmar Ratio Rank: 68
GSEU Martin Ratio Rank: 66

EWU

EWU Risk / Return Rank: 84
EWU Sharpe Ratio Rank: 84
EWU Sortino Ratio Rank: 83
EWU Omega Ratio Rank: 84
EWU Calmar Ratio Rank: 82
EWU Martin Ratio Rank: 86

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.

GSEU vs. EWU - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF (GSEU) and iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU). 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.

	GSEU	EWU	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.29	1.72	-0.43
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.82	2.26	-0.44
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.26	1.34	-0.08
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.90	2.44	-0.54
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.27	10.73	-3.46
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

GSEU vs. EWU - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current GSEU Sharpe Ratio is 1.29, which is comparable to the EWU Sharpe Ratio of 1.72. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of GSEU and EWU, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	GSEU	EWU	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.29	1.72	-0.43
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.52	0.76	-0.23
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.50	0.44	+0.06
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.50	0.26	+0.24

Correlation

The correlation between GSEU and EWU is 0.87, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

GSEU vs. EWU - Dividend Comparison

GSEU's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.71%, less than EWU's 3.54% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
GSEU Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF	2.71%	2.72%	2.35%	3.41%	3.34%	2.71%	1.84%	3.69%	3.40%	2.51%	2.74%	0.00%
EWU iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF	3.54%	3.73%	4.16%	4.14%	3.43%	4.35%	2.48%	4.13%	4.98%	3.91%	3.97%	4.11%

Drawdowns

GSEU vs. EWU - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum GSEU drawdown since its inception was -35.71%, smaller than the maximum EWU drawdown of -63.99%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for GSEU and EWU.

Drawdown Indicators

	GSEU	EWU	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-35.71%	-63.99%	+28.28%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-11.90%	-11.75%	-0.15%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-33.98%	-24.91%	-9.07%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-35.71%	-43.33%	+7.62%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.00%	-4.79%	-2.21%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.66%	-14.22%	+7.56%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.11%	2.67%	+0.44%

Volatility

GSEU vs. EWU - Volatility Comparison

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Europe Equity ETF (GSEU) has a higher volatility of 7.39% compared to iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF (EWU) at 6.76%. This indicates that GSEU's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than EWU based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	GSEU	EWU	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.39%	6.76%	+0.63%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.96%	10.82%	+0.14%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.44%	16.77%	+0.67%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.99%	16.26%	+0.73%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	18.03%	18.81%	-0.78%