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Launched · SEC filings

iShares J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF

LEMBNYSE ArcaiSharesA

$42.10+0.11 (+0.26%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

A75/ 100

Rank 2 of 7 in Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)

A75/100Rank 2 of 7inEmerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 41.99 to 42.10. Range 42.09 to 42.17. Use the arrow keys to read each point.42.0542.1510 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.30%
Fund size
$771M
1Y total return
+4.0%
Yield · Last 12 months
2.42%
Holdings
477
Avg volume · 30D
154K sh
52W range
low $40.35high $43.46
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net LEMB Grade

A

Score 75 out of 100

Category
Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)⁠
Rank
2 of 7
Six-pillar profile for LEMB. Scores out of 100: Cost 80, Risk 53, Mission 100, Tradability 55, Holdings 71, Durability 75. Strongest: Mission (100). Weakest: Risk (53). Leans toward Mission.

Score 75 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.
    A100 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 7

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C53 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.
    B55 out of 100
    Rank 4 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.
    A75 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 7

Our read on LEMB

ETF.net Research

In short

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

  • Sovereign debt in local currency, not dollars: you hold the borrowing rates and the currencies of emerging economies directly.ishares.com
  • 0.30% expense ratio, below the median for the emerging-markets funds we track.
  • The 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
  • Trading 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

  • No 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
  • Government issuers only. This is a rates-and-currency vehicle, not a play on emerging-market companies or credit spreads.
  • Income arrives on an annual or semiannual schedule, and the fund is moderately traded rather than a headline-volume name.

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$10,397
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. LEMB $10,397. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 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 LEMB. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodLEMB
Year to date+1.1%
1 month−0.6%
3 months−1.3%
1 year+4.0%
3 yearsper year+8.2%
5 yearsper year+1.8%
10 yearsper year+0.9%

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+1.1%
2025+18.0%

LEMB in the news

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 30, 2026.
2.42%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, 2018No data$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

— Pay date not on file.

See all 49 payments⁠

$10,000 in LEMB 10 years ago paid $1,503 in dividends.⁠

LEMB Risk

Risk pillarC53 out of 100Rank 3 of 7 in Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
7.1%
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.
0.52
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.
−21.1%
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.

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

LEMB Cost

Tied cheapest in Emerging Markets Bonds (Local Currency)

$6,149

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

  • LEMB 0.30%

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • LEMB 0.30%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530LEMB $6,149

Year by year

YearLEMB
10$545
20$2,113
30$6,149

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