AAXJ ETF — iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF

iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF (AAXJ)

Updated October 16, 2026.

AAXJ is an ETF. its distribution rate is 0.78%, its trailing-12-month yield is 1.43%, its expense ratio is 0.72%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 70/100 (Generally safe). Total return is 197.2% over the past 18.2 years, 519.9 points behind SPY at 717.1%.

iShares MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan ETF is an equity fund that tracks a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index of stocks from ten developed and emerging Asian markets: China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The fund carries a modest distribution rate with semi-annual distributions and has an expense ratio of 0.72%. It appeals to investors seeking broad exposure to Asian equity markets outside Japan with a focus on income supplementation alongside capital appreciation potential.

AAXJ performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 197.2% over the past 18.2 years, 519.9 points behind SPY at 717.1%. Over the past year its total return — price change plus distributions reinvested — is 18.3%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 14.9%.

AAXJ key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

70 · Generally safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

0.55%

Issuer

iShares

Asset type

ETF

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

08/13/2008

Expense ratio

0.72%

Distribution rate

0.78%

Distribution frequency

Semi-Annual

Trailing yield

1.43%

Last close

$108.12 (as of 2026-10-16)

AUM

$3,931,137,161

Average volume

527665.0

Dividend

$0.421

Ex-dividend date

06/15/2026

Payment date

06/18/2026

Beta

1.02

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (0.78%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (1.43%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: iShares; prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

AAXJ risks and drawbacks

AAXJ's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are semi-annual, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. Total return has trailed SPY over the available window. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 14.9%.

Who may consider AAXJ — and who may not

It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (AAXJ pays semi-annual); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields; investors whose main goal is matching SPY total return. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on AAXJ

• All tickers starting with A

Tagged: International.

Frequently asked questions

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