International Exposure: SPDW's Lower Costs vs. URTH's U.S. Giants

Core Insights - The iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH) and SPDR Portfolio Developed World ex-US ETF (SPDW) differ significantly in cost, yield, regional exposure, and top holdings concentration, with SPDW being more cost-effective and focused on non-U.S. markets, while URTH has a heavier emphasis on U.S. technology [2][3] Cost & Size Comparison - URTH has an expense ratio of 0.24% and AUM of $7.0 billion, while SPDW has a much lower expense ratio of 0.03% and AUM of $34.1 billion [4] - The 1-year return for URTH is 22.9%, compared to SPDW's 35.3%, and the dividend yield for URTH is 1.5% versus SPDW's 3.2% [4][5] Performance & Risk Comparison - Over five years, URTH experienced a maximum drawdown of 26.06%, while SPDW had a deeper drawdown of 30.20% [6] - The growth of $1,000 over five years is $1,659 for URTH and $1,321 for SPDW, indicating better long-term performance for URTH despite its higher risk [6] Portfolio Composition - SPDW's portfolio is diversified across sectors, with Financial Services (23%), Industrials (19%), and Technology (11%), holding 2,390 stocks, and its largest positions include Roche, Novartis, and Toyota Motor, each around 1% of assets [7] - URTH is more concentrated in Technology (34%), with top holdings in Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft making up nearly 14% of its assets, indicating a closer correlation with U.S. tech performance [8] Market Performance Context - Both ETFs benefited from a strong international stock rally in 2025, with SPDW gaining approximately 35% and URTH rising 23% over the past year, as international markets surged due to a weakening U.S. dollar [10]