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SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L
Performance
Return for Risk
Drawdowns
Volatility
Dividends

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L

Last updated Jun 5, 2026

SAEU.L (iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)) and SMEA.L (iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)) are both Europe Equities funds from iShares tracking the MSCI Europe NR EUR. Both are passively managed. Over the past 5 years, SAEU.L returned 9.78%/yr vs 10.14%/yr for SMEA.L. With a 0.95 correlation, they move nearly in lockstep. Both charge a 0.12% expense ratio.

Performance

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a £10,000 investment in iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SAEU.L) and iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SMEA.L). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

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Different Trading Currencies

SAEU.L is traded in GBP, while SMEA.L is traded in GBp. To make them comparable, the SMEA.L values have been converted to GBP using the latest available exchange rates.

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both investments are quite close, with SAEU.L having a 6.49% return and SMEA.L slightly higher at 6.71%.

SAEU.L

1D
0.70%
1M
4.09%
YTD
6.49%
6M
8.72%
1Y
18.84%
3Y*
13.90%
5Y*
9.78%
10Y*
—

SMEA.L

1D
0.75%
1M
3.62%
YTD
6.71%
6M
8.81%
1Y
19.31%
3Y*
13.80%
5Y*
10.14%
10Y*
10.22%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Yearly Performance Comparison

2026 (YTD)20252024202320222021202020192018
SAEU.L
iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)		6.49%24.54%4.11%15.10%-5.84%16.79%4.11%19.61%-2.56%
SMEA.L
iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)		6.71%25.88%3.68%13.36%-3.48%16.94%2.44%19.63%-2.97%

Correlation

The correlation between SAEU.L and SMEA.L is 0.98 - these two move nearly in lockstep. At this level, holding both provides almost no diversification benefit. If you already own one, adding the other does little to reduce portfolio risk.

Correlation
Correlation (1Y)
Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

0.98

Correlation (3Y)
Calculated over the trailing 3-year period

0.99

Correlation (5Y)
Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.99

Correlation (All Time)
Calculated using the full available price history since Oct 24, 2018

0.95

The correlation between SAEU.L and SMEA.L has been stable across timeframes, ranging from 0.95 to 0.99 - a consistent structural relationship.

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Sectors Allocation Comparison

Sectors
SAEU.L
SMEA.L

Financial Services

27.0%
23.3%

Industrials

19.3%
19.7%

Healthcare

14.8%
13.1%

Technology

9.9%
8.6%

Consumer Cyclical

5.9%
6.3%

Utilities

5.5%
5.1%

Basic Materials

5.1%
5.6%

Consumer Defensive

4.8%
8.4%

Communication Services

4.0%
3.7%

Energy

2.7%
5.4%

Real Estate

0.9%
0.8%

Financial Services

SAEU.L
27.0%
SMEA.L
23.3%

Industrials

SAEU.L
19.3%
SMEA.L
19.7%

Healthcare

SAEU.L
14.8%
SMEA.L
13.1%

Technology

SAEU.L
9.9%
SMEA.L
8.6%

Consumer Cyclical

SAEU.L
5.9%
SMEA.L
6.3%

Utilities

SAEU.L
5.5%
SMEA.L
5.1%

Basic Materials

SAEU.L
5.1%
SMEA.L
5.6%

Consumer Defensive

SAEU.L
4.8%
SMEA.L
8.4%

Communication Services

SAEU.L
4.0%
SMEA.L
3.7%

Energy

SAEU.L
2.7%
SMEA.L
5.4%

Real Estate

SAEU.L
0.9%
SMEA.L
0.8%

Compare stocks, funds, or ETFs

Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.

iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)

iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc)

Often compared with SAEU.L:
SAEU.L vs. SDUE.LSAEU.L vs. IEFM.LSAEU.L vs. VEUR.LSAEU.L vs. EUNL.DESAEU.L vs. FLXD.LSAEU.L vs. WDEP.LSAEU.L vs. IGLN.L
Often compared with SMEA.L:
SMEA.L vs. S600.LSMEA.L vs. MEUD.LSMEA.L vs. IEUSSMEA.L vs. CSPX.LSMEA.L vs. CS51.LSMEA.L vs. SWDA.LSMEA.L vs. EXI1.DE

Return for Risk

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
SAEU.L
SAEU.L Risk / Return Rank: 4141
Overall Rank
SAEU.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 4343
Sharpe Ratio Rank
SAEU.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 4343
Sortino Ratio Rank
SAEU.L Omega Ratio Rank: 4444
Omega Ratio Rank
SAEU.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 3535
Calmar Ratio Rank
SAEU.L Martin Ratio Rank: 3939
Martin Ratio Rank
SMEA.L
SMEA.L Risk / Return Rank: 4444
Overall Rank
SMEA.L Sharpe Ratio Rank: 4747
Sharpe Ratio Rank
SMEA.L Sortino Ratio Rank: 4747
Sortino Ratio Rank
SMEA.L Omega Ratio Rank: 4949
Omega Ratio Rank
SMEA.L Calmar Ratio Rank: 3737
Calmar Ratio Rank
SMEA.L Martin Ratio Rank: 4141
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.

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SAEU.L) and iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SMEA.L). 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.

SAEU.LSMEA.LDifference
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility
1.49
1.60

-0.11

Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk
2.14
2.29

-0.15

Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability

1.28

1.30

-0.02

Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown

1.69

1.82

-0.14

Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown

6.04

6.51

-0.47

Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current SAEU.L Sharpe Ratio is 1.49, which is comparable to the SMEA.L Sharpe Ratio of 1.60. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of SAEU.L and SMEA.L, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

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Sharpe Ratios by Period

SAEU.LSMEA.LDifference

Sharpe Ratio (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

1.49

1.60

-0.11

Sharpe Ratio (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period

0.69

0.74

-0.06

Sharpe Ratio (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period

—

0.70

—

Sharpe Ratio (All Time)

Calculated using the full available price history

0.62

0.60

+0.02

Drawdowns

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum SAEU.L drawdown since its inception was -28.68%, roughly equal to the maximum SMEA.L drawdown of -28.48%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for SAEU.L and SMEA.L.

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Drawdown Indicators

SAEU.LSMEA.LDifference

Max Drawdown

Largest peak-to-trough decline

-28.68%

-28.48%

-0.20%

Max Drawdown (1Y)

Largest decline over 1 year

-11.13%

-10.56%

-0.57%

Max Drawdown (3Y)

Largest decline over 3 years

-12.84%

-12.46%

-0.38%

Max Drawdown (5Y)

Largest decline over 5 years

-17.74%

-15.76%

-1.98%

Max Drawdown (10Y)

Largest decline over 10 years

—

-28.48%

—

Current Drawdown

Current decline from peak

-1.11%

-1.27%

+0.16%

Average Drawdown

Average peak-to-trough decline

-4.10%

-4.54%

+0.44%

Ulcer Index

Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks

3.11%

2.96%

+0.15%

Volatility

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Volatility Comparison

iShares MSCI Europe ESG Screened UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SAEU.L) has a higher volatility of 4.21% compared to iShares Core MSCI Europe UCITS ETF EUR (Acc) (SMEA.L) at 3.91%. This indicates that SAEU.L's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than SMEA.L based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

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Volatility by Period

SAEU.LSMEA.LDifference

Volatility (1M)

Calculated over the trailing 1-month period

4.21%

3.91%

+0.30%

Volatility (6M)

Calculated over the trailing 6-month period

10.55%

10.09%

+0.46%

Volatility (1Y)

Calculated over the trailing 1-year period

12.57%

12.02%

+0.55%

Volatility (5Y)

Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized

14.24%

13.64%

+0.60%

Volatility (10Y)

Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized

16.74%

15.04%

+1.70%

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Expense Ratio Comparison

Both SAEU.L and SMEA.L have an expense ratio of 0.12%, making them cost-effective options compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios typically range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

Dividends

SAEU.L vs. SMEA.L - Dividend Comparison

Neither SAEU.L nor SMEA.L has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Frequently Asked Questions

With a correlation of 0.98, SAEU.L and SMEA.L move almost identically. Holding both adds very little diversification - you're essentially doubling your position in the same market segment. Choosing one is usually more capital-efficient.

Both ETFs have the same 0.12% expense ratio. The better choice depends on whether you care most about return, fees, risk, or income.

SAEU.L and SMEA.L have the same expense ratio: 0.12% per year.

Both ETFs track MSCI Europe NR EUR.

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