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iShares J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF

LEMBNYSE ArcaA

$42.44+0.03 (+0.06%)

At close: Oct 13, 2026, 4:00 PM

Intraday session: up, 74 prints from 42.41 to 42.44. Range 42.41 to 42.54. Use the arrow keys to read each point.42.4842.5042.5210 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.30%
Fund size
$778M
1Y total return
+6.1%
Yield · Last 12 months
2.39%
Holdings
484
Avg volume · 30D
0.2M sh
NAV per share
$42.26
52W range
low $40.35high $43.46
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net LEMB Grade

A

Score 76 out of 100

Rank
2 of 7
Six-pillar profile for LEMB. Scores out of 100: Cost 80, Risk 57, Mission 96, Tradability 60, Holdings 71, Durability 76. Strongest: Mission (96). Weakest: Risk (57). Leans toward Mission.

Score 76 of 100 falls in the A 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.
    A80 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 7
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A96 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 7
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    B57 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 7
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B60 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 7
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A71 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 7
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A76 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 7

Our read on LEMB

ETF.net Research

AMost emerging-markets funds buy stocks. LEMB buys government bonds priced in pesos, rand and rupiah, so the ride comes from local interest rates and the currency, not the dollar. iShares has run this unhedged EM debt sleeve since 2011.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track an index of sovereign bonds issued by emerging-market countries in their local currencies.

Why people hold it

  1. 01Sovereign debt in local currency, not dollars: you hold the borrowing rates and the currencies of emerging economies directly.ishares.com
  2. 020.30% expense ratio, below the median for the emerging-markets funds we track.
  3. 03The J.P. Morgan index it follows caps any one country at 15% and floors smaller ones at 4%, spreading roughly 400 bonds across many issuers instead of two or three giants.ishares.com
  4. 04Trading since 2011, one of the longest-running US listings in this corner of the bond market, and it scores in the upper half of its peer group overall.

Worth knowing

  1. 01No currency hedge. Local yields can be healthy and still be swamped by a strong dollar, so day-to-day moves often look more like FX than bonds.ishares.com
  2. 02Government issuers only. This is a rates-and-currency vehicle, not a play on emerging-market companies or credit spreads.
  3. 03Income arrives on an annual or semiannual schedule, and the fund is moderately traded rather than a headline-volume name.

LEMB Holdings

As of Oct 12, 2026
Asset class
Bonds
Holdings
484
Top-10 weight
13%
Largest holding
PARAGUAY REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 8.50% 04/04/20381.8%

Geography

  • China14.71%
  • India8.87%
  • Mexico5.36%
  • Malaysia4.91%
  • Indonesia4.74%
  • Brazil4.57%
  • Poland4.45%
  • Thailand4.26%
  • Other countries (13)48.13%

Developed 0% · Emerging 100% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 33.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001—PARAGUAY REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 8.50% 04/04/20381.78%693,311,185$14M4
002—Uruguay (Oriental Republic Of) 8.00% 10/29/20351.68%5,226,889$13M6
003—Serbia (Republic Of) 7.00% 10/26/20311.46%11,177,853$11M4
004—PARAGUAY REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 8.50% 03/04/20351.30%505,789,462$10M4
005—DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (GOVERNMENT) RegS 10.50% 03/15/20371.30%5,666,366$10M6
006—Uruguay (Oriental Republic Of) 9.75% 07/20/20331.26%3,604,947$10M5
007—DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (GOVERNMENT) RegS 10.75% 06/01/20361.12%4,855,437$9M7
008—PARAGUAY REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 7.90% 02/09/20310.97%379,484,822$8M4
009—Turkey (Republic Of) 30.00% 09/12/20290.97%4,109,947$8M7
010—Serbia (Republic Of) 4.50% 08/20/20320.88%7,536,974$7M4
011—Uruguay (Oriental Republic Of) 8.25% 05/21/20310.82%2,463,032$6M4
012—Brazil Federative Republic of (Gov 10.00% 01/01/20310.82%34,127$6M9
013—Turkey (Republic Of) 26.20% 10/05/20330.81%3,745,892$6M9
014—Serbia (Republic Of) 5.25% 07/27/20350.79%6,591,573$6M4
015—DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (GOVERNMENT) RegS 11.25% 09/15/20350.77%3,249,882$6M4

Showing 1–15 of 484 holdings

LEMB Performance

Launched Oct 18, 2011

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

LEMB$10,608
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$12,044
Oct 10, 2025 to Oct 12, 2026. LEMB $10,608. SPY $12,044. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,582$10,912$12,243Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 10, 2025 – Oct 12, 2026

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.

Trailing total return for LEMB. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodLEMB
Year to date+2.0%
1 month−1.4%
3 months−0.4%
1 year+6.1%
3 yearsper year+8.6%
5 yearsper year+1.9%
10 yearsper year+1.0%

As of the close, 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 LEMB
YearReturn barLEMB
2026 YTD+2.0%
2025+18.0%
2024−1.7%
2023+7.2%
2022−10.7%
2021−9.9%
2020+3.1%

LEMB in the news

Filtered to LEMB · Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)

LEMB 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 12, 2026.
2.39%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.02Last 12 months
Last payment
$1.02 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Irregular

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 6 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 3, 2018 $1.49; Dec 19, 2019 $1.93; Dec 16, 2021 $1.53; Dec 15, 2022 $0.30; Dec 14, 2023 $0.49; Dec 19, 2025 $1.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 19, 2025Dec 24, 2025$1.02
Dec 14, 2023Dec 20, 2023$0.49
Dec 15, 2022Dec 21, 2022$0.30
Dec 16, 2021Dec 22, 2021$1.53
Dec 19, 2019Dec 26, 2019$1.93
Dec 3, 2018Data unavailable$1.49
Jul 1, 2015Jul 8, 2015$0.02
Jun 1, 2015Jun 5, 2015$0.02
May 1, 2015May 7, 2015$0.03
Apr 1, 2015Apr 8, 2015$0.03
Mar 2, 2015Mar 6, 2015$0.07
Feb 2, 2015Feb 6, 2015$0.09

LEMB Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
7.2%
Annualised · 36 months to Sep 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.
0.48
vs 3-month T-bills · to Sep 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.
−21.4%
Trough Oct 2022
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.
1.00
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.

LEMB Cost

Expense ratio0.30%
  • The middle half of Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency) funds
  • Median 0.55%

No Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency) fund charges less.

LEMB costs $30.00 a year on $10,000. The median Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency) fund costs $55.00.

Other funds in Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)