

Nuveen ESG Emerging Markets Equity ETF
$41.63−0.33 (−0.77%)
- 0.36%
- $483M
- +24.8%
- 3.04%
- 0M sh
- $42.57
- low $33.47high $44.66
The ETF.net NUEM Grade
Score 64 out of 100
- 6 of 12
Score 64 of 100 falls in the B 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.C46 out of 100Rank 7 of 12Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 10Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C48 out of 100Rank 7 of 12Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B56 out of 100Rank 6 of 12Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B68 out of 100Rank 5 of 12
Our read on NUEM
BMost ESG emerging-market funds license an MSCI screen. NUEM runs TIAA's own index instead, cutting to roughly 190 names rather than shaving a few off the broad benchmark.
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index. That index consists of listed equity securities and related depositary receipts from emerging-market countries whose issuers meet specified ESG criteria.
Why people hold it
- Tracks the TIAA ESG Emerging Markets Equity Index, an in-house rulebook, while the biggest names in the group (ESGE, LDEM, EEMX) all run MSCI screens.
- Roughly 190 stocks, so the ESG screen actually bites: a filtered slice of emerging markets, not the whole index with a light green tint.
- Running since 2017, and its holdings line up with the ESG emerging-markets mandate spelled out in its prospectus. No mission drift.
Worth knowing
- At 0.36% the fee sits at the middle of this group, above LDEM at 0.16% and ESGE at 0.25%.
- Thinly traded, so bid-ask spreads can widen and the fill on a market order can sit away from the fund's underlying value.
- Distributions arrive once or twice a year, not monthly.
NUEM Holdings
- Stocks
- 191
- 41%
- 2330.TW
Sectors
- Technology40.1%
- Financials19.5%
- Consumer Discretionary9.6%
- Industrials7.9%
- Materials7.2%
- Communication6.8%
- Energy3.2%
- Health Care2.0%
- Utilities1.9%
- Consumer Staples1.1%
- Real Estate0.6%
Geography
- Taiwan (Province of China)43.67%
- China25.38%
- Korea (the Republic of)17.09%
- South Africa3.85%
- Hong Kong2.70%
- Poland2.29%
- Mexico1.06%
- India1.06%
- 2.91%
Developed 3% · Emerging 97%
NUEM Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
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 | NUEM |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +17.9% |
| 1 month | −2.7% |
| 3 months | +0.7% |
| 1 year | +24.8% |
| 3 years | +20.0% |
| 5 years | +6.9% |
| 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 | NUEM |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +17.9% | |
| 2025 | +27.1% | |
| 2024 | +9.8% | |
| 2023 | +8.5% | |
| 2022 | −19.7% | |
| 2021 | −1.1% | |
| 2020 | +24.1% |
NUEM in the news
NUEM Dividends
- 3.04%
- $1.27
- $1.27 per share
- Annual
Distribution history
NUEM Risk
- 13.9%
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.
- 1.10
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.
- −34.9%
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.
- 1.04
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
NUEM Cost
- The middle half of Emerging Markets ESG & Values Index funds
- Median 0.33%
6 of the 12 Emerging Markets ESG & Values Index funds charge less.
Other funds in Emerging Markets ESG & Values Index
- AEMCRXtrackers Emerging Markets Carbon Reduction and Climate Improvers ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return +23.8%
- BEEMXState Street SPDR MSCI Emerging Markets Fossil Fuel Reserves Free ETFExpense ratio 0.30%1 year return +31.4%
- BDFSEDimensional Emerging Markets Sustainability Core 1 ETFExpense ratio 0.44%1 year return +22.6%
- CFRDMFreedom 100 Emerging Markets ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +58.5%
- CEFFEHarbor ETF Trust - Harbor Osmosis Emerging Markets Resource Efficient ETFExpense ratio 0.69%1 year return +19.8%




