# URTH ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What URTH holds, its 0.24% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

iShares MSCI World ETF (URTH) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by iShares (BlackRock). This fund owns large and medium sized companies in rich countries around the world, including the United States. It charges 0.24% a year. From January 2012 to October 2026 it returned about 12.1% a year, and its worst drop was −34.0%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 16, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.24% a year (about $24 on $10,000).
- Started trading on January 10, 2012.
- Worst drop since 2012: −34.0%.
- 1 Tactfolio classic strategy holds it.

## What does URTH hold?

This fund owns large and medium sized companies in rich countries around the world, including the United States. It does not hold emerging markets like China or India. Its value also moves with foreign currencies.

It tracks the MSCI World Index (Net). It had 1,252 holdings as of October 15, 2026, according to iShares (BlackRock).

| Fact | URTH |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | iShares MSCI World ETF |
| Issuer | iShares (BlackRock) |
| Expense ratio | 0.24% a year |
| Started trading | January 10, 2012 |
| Tracks | MSCI World Index (Net) |
| Type | Global stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 1,252 holdings as of October 15, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 16, 2026 on the [iShares (BlackRock) fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239696/ishares-msci-world-etf) |

## What is the URTH expense ratio?

URTH charges 0.24% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.24% fee comes to about $24 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 URTH done since 2012?

From January 2012 to October 2026, URTH returned about 12.1% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $53,988 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | URTH |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 439.9% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 12.1% |
| Worst drop from a high | −34.0% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 16.9% |
| Last 12 months | 15.8% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 21.0% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 11.3% |
| Last 10 years, per year | 13.2% |

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.

## URTH returns by year

| Year | URTH return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 11.8% |
| 2025 | 21.4% |
| 2024 | 18.7% |
| 2023 | 23.9% |
| 2022 | −18.0% |
| 2021 | 22.3% |
| 2020 | 15.8% |
| 2019 | 28.1% |
| 2018 | −8.6% |
| 2017 | 22.9% |
| 2016 | 7.3% |
| 2015 | −0.6% |
| 2014 | 4.4% |
| 2013 | 26.7% |
| 2012 (part of the year) | 14.7% |

## What was URTH's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. URTH's worst fall was −34.0%, from February 12, 2020 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on August 24, 2020.

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 URTH?

One classic strategy holds URTH at least some of the time. Each is a set of written rules you can open, test and copy.

- [Global Risk Parity Trend-Following (Clare et al.)](https://tactfolio.com/strategies/global-risk-parity-trend-following.md), by Andrew Clare, James Seaton, Peter N. Smith, and Stephen Thomas, 2016

## How does URTH compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for URTH:

- [VT](https://tactfolio.com/etf/vt.md): Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, 0.06% a year
- [AVGE](https://tactfolio.com/etf/avge.md): Avantis All Equity Markets ETF, 0.23% a year
- [ACWI](https://tactfolio.com/etf/acwi.md): iShares MSCI ACWI ETF, 0.32% a year
- [VEU](https://tactfolio.com/etf/veu.md): Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF, 0.04% a year

See [all 8 URTH alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/urth.md), compared on the same dates as URTH.

## Test URTH 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](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add URTH, 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 URTH. 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](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [What is an ETF](https://tactfolio.com/learn/what-is-an-etf): An ETF is a fund that trades like a stock. Learn how ETFs work, what they cost, the main types, and the risks, with SEC sources.
- [Portfolio rebalancing](https://tactfolio.com/learn/portfolio-rebalancing): What portfolio rebalancing is, why a 60/40 mix drifts, calendar vs threshold methods, and how taxes and costs fit in.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of URTH?

URTH charges 0.24% a year, according to iShares (BlackRock) as of October 16, 2026. That is about $24 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did URTH start trading?

URTH started trading on January 10, 2012. It is run by iShares (BlackRock).

### What does URTH track?

URTH tracks the MSCI World Index (Net). This fund owns large and medium sized companies in rich countries around the world, including the United States.

### How much has URTH returned per year?

From January 2012 to October 2026, URTH returned about 12.1% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −34.0%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use URTH?

One of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold URTH, including Global Risk Parity Trend-Following (Clare et al.).

## Sources

- [iShares (BlackRock): iShares MSCI World ETF fund page](https://www.ishares.com/us/products/239696/ishares-msci-world-etf)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.