EFA: iShares MSCI EAFE ETF
iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by iShares (BlackRock). This fund holds stocks of large and mid sized companies in developed countries outside the US and Canada, such as Japan, the UK and much of Europe. It charges 0.32% a year. From August 2001 to October 2026 it returned about 6.4% a year, and its worst drop was −61.0%.
Written by the Tactfolio research team. Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.
- Yearly fee
- 0.32%
- about $32 on $10,000
- Return per year
- 6.4%
- since August 2001
- Worst drop
- −61.0%
- since 2001
- Started trading
- Aug 2001
- iShares (BlackRock)
Key points
- Expense ratio: 0.32% a year (about $32 on $10,000).
- Started trading on August 14, 2001.
- Worst drop since 2001: −61.0%.
- 14 Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.
What does EFA hold?#
This fund holds stocks of large and mid sized companies in developed countries outside the US and Canada, such as Japan, the UK and much of Europe. Its value can go up or down with those stock markets. Changes in foreign currency values can also change what the fund is worth in US dollars.
It tracks the MSCI EAFE Index (Net). It had 657 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to iShares (BlackRock).
| Fact | EFA |
|---|---|
| Full name | iShares MSCI EAFE ETF |
| Issuer | iShares (BlackRock) |
| Expense ratio | 0.32% a year |
| Started trading | August 14, 2001 |
| Tracks | MSCI EAFE Index (Net) |
| Type | International stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 657 holdings as of October 15, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 16, 2026 on the iShares (BlackRock) fund page |
What is the EFA expense ratio?#
EFA charges 0.32% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.32% fee comes to about $32 a year.
You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.
How has EFA done since 2001?#
From August 2001 to October 2026, EFA returned about 6.4% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $47,378 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.
| Measure | EFA |
|---|---|
| Total return | 373.8% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 6.4% |
| Worst drop from a high | −61.0% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 20.7% |
| Last 12 months | 13.5% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 18.2% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 8.7% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 9.2% |
Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.
EFA returns by year#
| Year | EFA return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (part of the year) | 9.5% |
| 2025 | 31.6% |
| 2024 | 3.5% |
| 2023 | 18.4% |
| 2022 | −14.4% |
| 2021 | 11.5% |
| 2020 | 7.6% |
| 2019 | 22.0% |
| 2018 | −13.8% |
| 2017 | 25.1% |
| 2016 | 1.4% |
| 2015 | −1.0% |
| 2014 | −6.2% |
| 2013 | 21.4% |
| 2012 | 18.8% |
| 2011 | −12.2% |
| 2010 | 8.2% |
| 2009 | 27.0% |
| 2008 | −41.0% |
| 2007 | 10.0% |
| 2006 | 25.8% |
| 2005 | 13.3% |
| 2004 | 19.0% |
| 2003 | 40.3% |
| 2002 | −15.4% |
| 2001 (part of the year) | −7.0% |
What was EFA’s worst drop?#
A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. EFA’s worst fall was −61.0%, from October 31, 2007 to March 9, 2009. It got back to that high on June 6, 2014.
The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.
Which Tactfolio strategies hold EFA?#
14 classic strategies hold EFA at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.
- Vigilant Asset Allocation (VAA), by Wouter Keller and JW Keuning, 2017
- Composite Dual Momentum, by Gary Antonacci, 2012
- Global Tactical Asset Allocation (GTAA 5), by Mebane Faber, 2007
- GTAA 13: Faber’s 13-asset tactical allocation, by Mebane Faber, 2013
- GTAA Aggressive 3 (Faber GTAA AGG3), by Mebane Faber, 2013
- GTAA Aggressive 6 (Faber GTAA AGG6), by Mebane Faber, 2013
- Ivy Portfolio rotation (Faber’s relative strength model), by Mebane Faber and Eric Richardson, 2009
- 12-Month High Switch (Meb Faber), by Mebane Faber, 2020
- Mama Bear Portfolio (Muscular Portfolios), by Brian Livingston, 2018
- Papa Bear Portfolio (Muscular Portfolios), by Brian Livingston, 2018
- Quint Switching Filtered (Lewis Glenn’s QSF), by Lewis A. Glenn, 2018
- Robust Asset Allocation Balanced (Alpha Architect RAA), by Wesley Gray (Alpha Architect), 2014
- Robust Asset Allocation Aggressive (Alpha Architect RAA), by Wesley Gray (Alpha Architect), 2014
- Ivy Portfolio (Faber and Richardson, buy and hold), by Mebane Faber and Eric Richardson, 2009
How does EFA compare with similar ETFs?#
Funds that can stand in for EFA:
- SCHF: Schwab International Equity ETF, 0.03% a year
- VEA: Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF, 0.03% a year
- IEFA: iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF, 0.07% a year
- VEU: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF, 0.04% a year
See all 8 EFA alternatives, compared on the same dates as EFA.
Test EFA in your own rules#
Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the builder, add EFA, and see how a rule such as “hold it only above its 200-day average” would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.
The details#
Prices come from Tactfolio’s stored daily prices for EFA. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.
Fund facts come from iShares (BlackRock). We checked them on October 16, 2026. Read what a backtest simulates and how to read drawdown and CAGR for more on these measures.
Common questions#
What is the expense ratio of EFA?#
EFA charges 0.32% a year, according to iShares (BlackRock) as of October 16, 2026. That is about $32 a year for every $10,000 you hold.
When did EFA start trading?#
EFA started trading on August 14, 2001. It is run by iShares (BlackRock).
What does EFA track?#
EFA tracks the MSCI EAFE Index (Net). This fund holds stocks of large and mid sized companies in developed countries outside the US and Canada, such as Japan, the UK and much of Europe.
How much has EFA returned per year?#
From August 2001 to October 2026, EFA returned about 6.4% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −61.0%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.
Which strategies use EFA?#
14 of Tactfolio’s classic strategies hold EFA, including Vigilant Asset Allocation (VAA), Composite Dual Momentum, Global Tactical Asset Allocation (GTAA 5).