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Launched

First Trust Bloomberg Emerging Market Democracies ETF

EMDMNYSE ArcaFirst TrustD

$37.88+0.48 (+1.27%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:58 PM ET

D32/ 100

Rank 20 of 22 in Emerging Markets Stocks

D32/100Rank 20 of 22inEmerging Markets Stocks
Intraday session: up, 78 prints from 37.41 to 37.88. Range 37.86 to 38.29. Use the arrow keys to read each point.37.6038.0038.2010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.75%
Fund size
$39M
1Y total return
+27.9%
Yield · Last 12 months
3.11%
Holdings
104
Avg volume · 30D
13.4K sh
52W range
low $28.54high $45.03
Launched

The ETF.net EMDM Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

D

Score 32 out of 100

Category
Emerging Markets Stocks⁠
Rank
20 of 22
Six-pillar profile for EMDM. Scores out of 100: Cost 12, Risk 58, Mission not scored, Tradability 45, Holdings 36, Durability 42. Strongest: Risk (58). Weakest: Cost (12). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 32 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 100
    Rank 19 of 22

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    B58 out of 100
    Rank 5 of 22

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C45 out of 100
    Rank 16 of 22

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D36 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 19

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    C42 out of 100
    Rank 18 of 22

Our read on EMDM

ETF.net Research

In short

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.

Stated mandate

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

Holdings pillarD36 out of 100Rank 15 of 19 in Emerging Markets Stocks
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
104
Top-10 weight
40%
Largest holding
2330.TW9.6%

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

  • India16.10%
  • Taiwan14.76%
  • South Korea13.84%
  • Brazil13.77%
  • South Africa12.53%
  • Mexico11.55%
  • Poland5.44%
  • United States4.11%
  • Other countries (5)7.89%

Developed 0% · Emerging 100% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 7.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
12330.TWTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.9.64%53,312$3.81M176
2005930.KSSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.6.64%16,033$2.62M182
3GMEXICOB.MXGrupo Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (Class B)4.80%158,866$1.9M105
4PETR4.SAPetroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) (Preference Shares)3.94%160,545$1.55M91
5000660.KSSK Hynix Inc.3.90%1,514$1.54M186
6ANG.JOAngloGold Ashanti Plc2.71%13,467$1.07M114
7OTP.BDOTB Bank Plc2.31%7,167$914K90
8PKO.WAPowszechna Kasa Oszczednosci Bank Polski S.A.2.24%30,454$884K103
9No dataHDFC Bank Limited2.16%115,988$851K3
10No dataICICI Bank Limited2.09%55,832$825K4
11NPN.JONaspers Limited (Class N)2.02%19,749$797K89
12ITUB4.SAItau Unibanco Holding S.A. (Preference Shares)2.01%111,646$793K86
13GFI.JOGold Fields Limited2.01%24,055$792K82
14GFNORTEO.MXGrupo Financiero Banorte, S.A.B. de C.V.1.99%70,659$786K111
15PKN.WAOrlen SA1.94%20,654$768K108

Showing 1–15 of 104 holdings

EMDM Performance

Launched Mar 2, 2023

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$12,787
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. EMDM $12,787. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$12,000$14,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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.

Trailing total return for EMDM. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodEMDM
Year to date+20.4%
1 month−9.9%
3 months−5.8%
1 year+27.9%
3 yearsper year+29.1%
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper yearNo data
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for EMDM
YearReturn barEMDM
2026 YTD+20.4%
2025+59.8%
2024−5.0%
2023+14.2%

History from Mar 3, 2023

EMDM in the news

EMDM Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
3.11%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.16Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.18 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 12 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Jun 27, 2023 $0.23; Sep 22, 2023 $0.10; Dec 22, 2023 $0.16; Mar 21, 2024 $0.02; Jun 27, 2024 $0.18; Sep 26, 2024 $0.16; Dec 13, 2024 $0.85; Jun 26, 2025 $0.12; Sep 25, 2025 $0.20; Dec 12, 2025 $0.80; Jun 25, 2026 $0.18; Sep 24, 2026 $0.18. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 24, 2026Sep 30, 2026$0.18
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.18
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.80
Sep 25, 2025Sep 30, 2025$0.20
Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025$0.12
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$0.85
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.16
Jun 27, 2024Jun 28, 2024$0.18
Mar 21, 2024Mar 28, 2024$0.02
Dec 22, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.16
Sep 22, 2023Sep 29, 2023$0.10
Jun 27, 2023Jun 30, 2023$0.23

$10,000 in EMDM 3 years ago paid $1,384 in dividends.

EMDM Risk

Risk pillarB58 out of 100Rank 5 of 22 in Emerging Markets Stocks
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
20.8%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
1.13
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−18.9%
43 months · trough Apr 2025
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.24
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

EMDM Cost

Compare EMDM and VEXC

Overpaying vs VEXC, cheapest in Emerging Markets Stocks

$13,002

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • EMDM 0.75%

    $14,482

  • VEXC 0.07% Cheapest

    $1,480

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • EMDM 0.75%
  • VEXC 0.07%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530EMDM $14,482VEXC $1,480

Year by year

YearEMDMVEXCOverpaying
10$1,336$128$1,208
20$5,078$503$4,575
30$14,482$1,480$13,002

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