State Street SPDR S&P International Small Cap ETF

GWX

Market cap $876M

The international small-cap equities space may be one of the most overlooked value prospects available to investors right now. In the last two years, the MSXI EAFE Small Cap Index—focused on developed nation small-cap stocks outside of the United States and Canada—has seen some of its lowest valuations relative to domestic large-cap names in decades.

International Small Cap stocks currently offer better valuation compared to US Small-Cap stocks, as indicated by ETF comparisons. GWX ranks last in the Foreign Small/Mid Blend category, earning a Strong Sell rating due to poor relative performance.  DFIS, the top-ranked ETF gets a Buy rating. This article reviews both GWX's and DFIS's current holdings, and then explores the reason why their returns vary so much.