KSA — iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF
Single Country - Emerging Ranked #429 of 458 tracked ETFs · Issued by iShares
KSA Price Performance — Growth of $10,000
Value of a $10,000 investment in KSA over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.
KSA Drawdown
The "underwater" chart: KSA's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.
What If You'd Invested in KSA?
See what a lump sum in KSA would have grown to, with the option to add a regular monthly contribution on top. Figures use total returns — dividends are assumed reinvested.
Past performance doesn't predict future results. Assumes contributions on the first trading day of each month, no trading costs or taxes, and reinvested distributions. History is limited to the range published in the site's daily return data.
Overview
The iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF (KSA) is a Single Country - Emerging fund issued by iShares that currently holds $650 million in assets under management. Trading at a price of $36.90, the fund carries an expense ratio of 0.75% and offers a dividend yield of 2.77%. In the broader landscape of 458 tracked ETFs, KSA holds an overall rank of #429 and has received an ETFValuer grade of D with a score of 37.2 out of 100. Within its specific category of 22 Single Country - Emerging funds, the fund's positioning reflects its current standing relative to peers. The combination of a moderate asset base and a lower-tier grade suggests a specific level of investor adoption compared to higher-ranked alternatives. This profile places the fund in the lower quartile of the total tracked universe while maintaining a presence in the emerging markets sector.
Recent price action shows a daily decline of 0.22% followed by a weekly gain of 0.11%, indicating short-term fluctuation. Over the past month, the fund has dropped 2.38%, extending into a 3-month loss of 3.86% and a 6-month decline of 5.42%. Despite these negative intermediate trends, the year-to-date return stands at +1.89%, and the 1-year return is positive at +0.52%. However, the longer-term 3-year return is negative at -0.98%, suggesting that recent gains have not fully offset prior losses. The data reveals a divergence where short-term volatility has contributed to negative momentum, even as the fund maintains a slight positive return over the last year. This pattern highlights a period of recovery that remains fragile compared to the broader multi-year performance.
The fund is assigned a Moderate volatility label and exhibits a beta of 0.19, indicating low sensitivity to broader market movements. A Sharpe ratio of -0.28 suggests that the risk-adjusted returns have been negative over the measured period. The maximum drawdown recorded for the ETF is -15.28%, representing the largest peak-to-trough decline experienced by investors. This combination of a low beta and negative Sharpe ratio implies that the fund has not generated sufficient excess return to compensate for the volatility it has experienced. While the low beta may offer some insulation during market swings, the negative risk-adjusted metrics and significant drawdown point to periods of underperformance relative to the risk taken. Investors face a scenario where the fund's behavior in down markets has resulted in substantial losses without commensurate upside compensation.
AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.
KSA Top Holdings
| # | Holding | % of Net Assets | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AL RAJHI BANKING AND INVESTMENT CORPORATION SJSC | 13.87% | $95M |
| 2 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company | 11.44% | $79M |
| 3 | The Saudi National Bank SJSC | 8.15% | $56M |
| 4 | Saudi Telecom Company SJSC | 5.35% | $37M |
| 5 | Saudi Arabian Mining Company SJSC | 4.60% | $32M |
| 6 | Saudi Basic Industries Corporation SJSC | 3.29% | $23M |
| 7 | Riyad Bank SJSC | 3.12% | $21M |
| 8 | ALINMA BANK SJSC | 2.78% | $19M |
| 9 | Saudi Awwal Bank SJSC | 2.69% | $18M |
| 10 | ACWA POWER Company SJSC | 2.67% | $18M |
Holdings as of 2026-05-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 58.0% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how KSA's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.
Market Backdrop
10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.65% (as of 2026-07-27) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.
CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 18.67 (as of 2026-07-27) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.
Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-06-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.
What KSA's Fees Cost You
KSA charges an expense ratio of 0.75% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
KSA Dividend Income Estimator
KSA currently yields 2.77%. Enter an amount to see the income that implies, or set a monthly income target to see the investment it would take.
Based on the fund's current trailing yield, which varies with price and distributions — treat it as an estimate, not a guarantee. Yields are not adjusted for tax.
KSA Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment
Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is — and average daily volume is 495K/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $650M provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.
Domicile & tax treatment: KSA is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.
KSA Performance History
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1-Day | -0.22% |
| 1-Week | +0.11% |
| 1-Month | -2.38% |
| 3-Month | -3.86% |
| 6-Month | -5.42% |
| YTD | +1.89% |
| 1-Year | +0.52% |
| 3-Year | -0.98% |
How KSA Compares to Other Single Country - Emerging ETFs
| Rank | Grade | Ticker | Name | 1-Year | Exp. Ratio | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #65 | B |
EWT | iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF | +65.35% | 0.59% | $11.2B |
| #71 | B |
FLKR | Franklin FTSE South Korea ETF | +108.87% | 0.09% | $1.33B |
| #75 | B |
EWY | iShares MSCI South Korea ETF | +111.52% | 0.59% | $24.5B |
| #94 | B |
EPU | iShares MSCI Peru ETF | +74.55% | 0.59% | $524M |
| #186 | C |
EPOL | iShares MSCI Poland ETF | +28.77% | 0.59% | $679M |
| #214 | C |
EWZ | iShares MSCI Brazil ETF | +39.82% | 0.59% | $9.07B |
| #219 | C |
GREK | Global X MSCI Greece ETF | +29.14% | 0.56% | $281M |
| #277 | C |
ECH | iShares MSCI Chile ETF | +31.31% | 0.59% | $1.03B |
| #278 | C |
EWW | iShares MSCI Mexico ETF | +30.07% | 0.5% | $1.84B |
| #292 | C |
EWM | iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF | +20.03% | 0.5% | $324M |
| #347 | C |
THD | iShares MSCI Thailand ETF | +32.33% | 0.59% | $356M |
| #372 | C |
EZA | iShares MSCI South Africa ETF | +22.04% | 0.59% | $544M |
| #394 | D |
ASHR | Xtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF | +19.66% | 0.65% | $1.64B |
| #429 | D |
KSA | iShares MSCI Saudi Arabia ETF | +0.52% | 0.75% | $650M |
| #430 | D |
INDA | iShares MSCI India ETF | -8.22% | 0.61% | $6.87B |
| #433 | D |
MCHI | iShares MSCI China ETF | -5.92% | 0.59% | $5.89B |
| #441 | F |
FXI | iShares China Large-Cap ETF | -6.06% | 0.73% | $4.52B |
| #442 | F |
GXC | State Street SPDR S&P China ETF | -1.98% | 0.59% | $435M |
| #446 | F |
VNM | VanEck Vietnam ETF | +0.88% | 0.66% | $565M |
| #448 | F |
INDY | iShares India 50 ETF | -10.16% | 0.65% | $558M |
| #455 | F |
KWEB | KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF | -20.20% | 0.7% | $4.91B |
| #456 | F |
EIDO | iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF | -29.63% | 0.59% | $401M |