First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF
$41.44−0.30 (−0.72%)
- 0.75%
- $44M
- +54.4%
- 2.78%
- 0M sh
- $42.23
- low $28.25high $45.03
The ETF.net EMDM Grade
D
Score 30 out of 100
- 20 of 22
Score 30 of 100 falls in the D band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.F12 out of 100Rank 19 of 22Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B59 out of 100Rank 4 of 22Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.D38 out of 100Rank 16 of 22Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D31 out of 100Rank 16 of 19Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C42 out of 100Rank 18 of 22
Our read on EMDM
DMost emerging-market funds sort companies by size. EMDM screens countries first: only markets clearing an electoral-democracy bar are eligible, and roughly 110 large and mid caps come from the survivors.
The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies Index. It normally invests at least 80% of net assets in securities comprising that Index and uses a replication strategy.
Why people hold it
- The filter runs at the country level, before any stock selection. Markets that fail the electoral-democracy test are out, so the country map looks nothing like a standard EM index.ftportfolios.com
- Ordinary plumbing under the theme: a 1940 Act ETF that replicates its Bloomberg index with at least 80% of net assets, holds roughly 110 stocks, and pays quarterly.
- The politics are outsourced to a published rulebook, not to a manager's read of the headlines. First Trust has tracked the index since the 2023 launch.
Worth knowing
- Cost is the sticking point: 0.75% a year, versus a 0.49% median across its emerging-market peer group and single-digit basis points at VEXC (0.07%) or XCEM (0.16%).
- A small, thinly traded fund. Spreads can run wider than in the giant EM trackers, so the order type you use matters more here.
- Screening out non-democracies removes several of the largest markets in the EM universe, so results can diverge widely from a standard emerging-market benchmark in either direction.ftportfolios.com
EMDM Holdings
- Stocks
- 104
- 47%
- 2330.TW
Sectors
- Technology37.6%
- Financials26.9%
- Materials13.8%
- Energy5.5%
- Consumer Discretionary5.0%
- Communication3.5%
- Consumer Staples2.9%
- Industrials2.8%
- Utilities1.5%
- Health Care0.5%
Geography
- South Korea21.65%
- Taiwan19.03%
- Brazil13.76%
- India11.87%
- Mexico9.98%
- South Africa9.13%
- Poland4.61%
- United States3.38%
- 6.59%
Developed 0% · Emerging 100%
EMDM Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
EMDM$15,445
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | EMDM |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +34.3% |
| 1 month | −3.2% |
| 3 months | −0.4% |
| 1 year | +54.4% |
| 3 years | +32.8% |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | EMDM |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +34.3% | |
| 2025 | +59.8% | |
| 2024 | −5.0% | |
| 2023 | +14.2% |
EMDM in the news
EMDM Dividends
- 2.78%
- $1.16
- $0.18 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
EMDM Risk
- 19.7%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.32
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −18.9%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.24
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
EMDM Cost
0.75%
EMDM0.75%
- The middle half of Emerging Markets Stocks funds
- Median 0.53%
18 of the 22 Emerging Markets Stocks funds charge less.
Other funds in Emerging Markets Stocks
- CASEAGlobal X - FTSE Southeast Asia ETFExpense ratio 0.65%1 year return +25.2%
- DAFKVanEck Africa Index ETFExpense ratio 0.76%1 year return +13.8%
- DBKFiShares MSCI BIC ETFExpense ratio 0.72%1 year return −7.6%
- DEMEMSophus Capital Emerging Market ETFExpense ratio 0.65%1 year return —
- FEMSCSophus Capital Emerging Market Small Cap ETFExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return —