iShares Japan EWJ Fact Sheet

iShares MSCI Japan Index ETF (NYSE: EWJ) [[EWJ]]
Fact Sheet:

EWJ does not track/mirror the Nikkei 225 Stock Average, but rather the Morgan Stanley Capital International – Japan Index
EWJ has 364 stock holdings
EWJ consists primarily of large-cap stocks trading on the TSE TOPIX 1st Section
EWJ includes Toyota, MUFJ, Nintendo, Honda and Canon among its top-5 holdings
EWJ has 23% of assets in its top-10 holdings
EWJ is helped by a strong yen and hurt by a weak yen (see below)
EWJ may trade to the upside, even if the N225 was down, if the yen appreciates
EWJ is the most actively traded country-based ETF
EWJ is used as a proxy for investing in Japan by institutional and retail investors
EWJ has an expense ratio of 0.52%
EWJ has total next assets of over $8.1 billion
EWJ began trading in March 1996; it is listed on the NYSE
EWJ is optionable, but volume is typically light
EWJ can be shorted, but it may not be easy to

* Note: The above information is assumed accurate as of March 21, 2008, based on publicly available information.

1 Japanese stocks set to sink again as reality bites | Investing in Japan // Nov 6, 2008 at 6:28 pm

[…] drop of 8.7% to $8.55 (don’t email me to talk about what EWJ actually is, instead read my EWJ fact sheet), it is another no-brainer that stocks will trade lower in Tokyo. However, it is not so convincing […]
2 Jack Carter // Nov 9, 2008 at 4:44 pm

Japan has currency problems based on its monetary policy which drives the Yen carry trade. I am concerned that their exports are hurt by the global recession, and that their businesses can not continue the current dividends. I have held the Wisdom Tree Japanese small caps recently, but decided to sell based on a growing chorus of doubt about Japanese prospects.

Investing in Japan