What is the MSCI EAFE YTD return in 2026?
The MSCI EAFE is up +10.05% year to date with dividends reinvested (total return through Oct 5, 2026), or +8.33% on price alone — dividends have added 1.71 points so far. EFA started the year at $96.03 and closed at $104.03. That makes 2026 the 11th best start in 25 years of data through this date.
Price return vs total return#
Total return assumes distributions are reinvested; price return measures only the change in the ETF's share price. The 1.71 percentage-point gap is the contribution from dividends so far this year.
2026 YTD daily chart#
Daily EFA price since the final market close of 2025. Hover for the close, price YTD, total return YTD with dividends reinvested, and that day's price move.
- Total-return high
- +15.1% · Aug 25, 2026
- Total-return low
- -2.5% · Mar 20, 2026
- Max drawdown YTD
- -11.4%
- All-time-high closes
- 25 days
How 2026 compares with previous years#
Every year is measured through Oct 5 — the same calendar date as the current result — so the comparison is not skewed by full-year outcomes.
Years that looked like this one
The five closest starts to 2026's +10.0%, each traced through its full year — labels show how each finished. 2026's path so far is the bold line.
2024 (+11.5% then → finished +3.5%) · 2019 (+11.5% then → finished +22.0%) · 2021 (+8.2% then → finished +11.4%) · 2012 (+11.9% then → finished +18.8%) · 2005 (+6.7% then → finished +13.3%).
Every year's YTD return through the same date#
Ranked by total return through Oct 5, with each completed calendar year's final return alongside it.
Best starts
| Year | YTD then | Finished |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +27.9% | +31.5% |
| 2003 | +23.6% | +39.8% |
| 2009 | +21.6% | +27.0% |
| 2017 | +20.5% | +25.1% |
| 2006 | +15.6% | +25.8% |
Worst starts
| Year | YTD then | Finished |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -30.9% | -41.0% |
| 2022 | -23.6% | -14.4% |
| 2002 | -21.6% | -15.4% |
| 2011 | -15.9% | -12.2% |
| 2020 | -5.3% | +7.6% |
| Rank | Year | YTD through this date | Full-year return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2025 | +27.9% | +31.5% |
| 2 | 2003 | +23.6% | +39.8% |
| 3 | 2009 | +21.6% | +27.0% |
| 4 | 2017 | +20.5% | +25.1% |
| 5 | 2006 | +15.6% | +25.8% |
| 6 | 2007 | +15.0% | +10.0% |
| 7 | 2013 | +14.6% | +21.4% |
| 8 | 2012 | +11.9% | +18.8% |
| 9 | 2019 | +11.5% | +22.0% |
| 10 | 2024 | +11.5% | +3.5% |
| 11 | 2026 (now) | +10.0% | — |
| 12 | 2021 | +8.2% | +11.4% |
| 13 | 2005 | +6.7% | +13.3% |
| 14 | 2004 | +5.2% | +19.0% |
| 15 | 2023 | +5.1% | +18.4% |
| 16 | 2010 | +3.5% | +8.2% |
| 17 | 2016 | +2.9% | +1.4% |
| 18 | 2015 | -0.3% | -1.0% |
| 19 | 2018 | -3.7% | -13.8% |
| 20 | 2014 | -4.3% | -6.2% |
| 21 | 2020 | -5.3% | +7.6% |
| 22 | 2011 | -15.9% | -12.2% |
| 23 | 2002 | -21.6% | -15.4% |
| 24 | 2022 | -23.6% | -14.4% |
| 25 | 2008 | -30.9% | -41.0% |
2026 monthly YTD chart#
Each bar is one calendar month's total return; the current month runs through Oct 5, 2026.
2026 YTD return by month#
Monthly total return and the compounded year-to-date result after each month.
| Month | Monthly return | Cumulative YTD |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | +4.9% | +4.9% |
| Feb | +4.6% | +9.7% |
| Mar | -7.8% | +1.1% |
| Apr | +5.3% | +6.6% |
| May | +2.4% | +9.1% |
| Jun | +0.6% | +9.8% |
| Jul | +1.7% | +11.7% |
| Aug | +1.8% | +13.7% |
| Sep | -3.3% | +9.9% |
| Oct | +0.1% | +10.0% |
Notes & related#
Returns are computed from EFA (the MSCI EAFE ETF): total return uses dividend-adjusted closes, price return uses split-adjusted closes only. “YTD through the same date” compares each year at the identical month-day, so early-year rankings aren't skewed by full-year outcomes. Data updates after each market close.
Keep going: MSCI EAFE returns by year, monthly returns, or the drawdown record.
More on MSCI EAFE
- Returns by year+10.0%
- Monthly returns+0.1%
- Weekly returns+0.1%
- Trailing returns+13.2%
- Drawdown from high−4.4%