Skip to content
etf.net

XCEM

GradeANew York Stock Exchange Arca

Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF

Broad Stock Market · Columbia Threadneedle · Inception 2015-09-02 · SEC filings

$52.07−0.97 (−1.83%)

As of Sep 23, 2026, 2:19 PM EDT

Intraday session: down, 54 prints from 53.04 to 52.07. Range 51.78 to 52.58. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$51.80$52.20$52.40$52.6010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.16%
Fund size
$2.2B
1Y return
+50.0%
Yield · Last 12 months
2.35%
Volume · 30D
0.2M sh
NAV per share
$52.35
52W range
low $35.89high $55.43

The ETF.net XCEM Grade

A

79/ 100

Rank 2 of 22 in Emerging Markets Stocks⁠

Confidence High

Six-pillar profile for XCEM. Scores out of 100: Cost 90, Risk 51, Mission 100, Tradability 65, Holdings 63, Durability 78. Strongest: Mission (100). Weakest: Risk (51). Leans toward Mission.
F< 25
D≥ 25
C≥ 40
B≥ 55
A≥ 70

Score 79 of 100 sits in the A band. Bands: A ≥ 70, B ≥ 55, C ≥ 40, D ≥ 25, F < 25; the scale skips E.

  • Cost

    What you pay to own it — the expense ratio plus trading frictions, ranked within its category.
    AScore 90
    Category rank3/22 · top 14%

  • Mission

    How faithfully it does the job it claims — tracking its mandate or index with minimal slippage.
    AScore 100
    Category rank7/17 · top 41%

  • Risk

    How violently it can move — volatility, drawdown depth, and downside capture versus its category.
    CScore 51
    Category rank8/22 · top 36%

  • Tradability

    How cheaply and easily you can get in and out — liquidity, spread, and premium/discount stability.
    BScore 65
    Category rank6/22 · top 27%

  • Holdings

    What it actually owns — the quality, breadth, and concentration of the underlying portfolio.
    BScore 63
    Category rank9/19 · top 47%

  • Durability

    Whether it will still be here — the fund’s assets, age, flows, and issuer staying power.
    AScore 78
    Category rank7/22 · top 32%

Graded as of Sep 22, 2026

Our read on XCEM

ETF.net Research

AThe original ex-China emerging markets fund. Columbia launched XCEM in 2015, back when carving China out of an EM sleeve was a fringe idea rather than a crowded shelf. Roughly 150 EM stocks, no China, 0.16% a year.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks investment results that correspond to the performance of the EGAI Emerging Markets ex-China Index before fees and expenses. It generally invests at least 80% of net assets in index companies and seeks to replicate the index.

Why people hold it

  1. 01Launched in 2015 as the first broad emerging markets ETF built to leave China out, and it has since grown into a billion-dollar-plus fund.morningstar.com
  2. 020.16% a year, well under the typical fund in its emerging markets cohort, for a portfolio of about 150 stocks.
  3. 03Plain mandate, closely followed: at least 80% of net assets in index companies, replicated rather than approximated, with tracking that has stayed tight.
  4. 04One of the strongest implementations in its emerging markets peer group, and liquid enough that getting in and out is rarely the hard part.

Worth knowing

  1. 01No China means no Tencent, no Alibaba, no A-shares. If that exposure belongs in the portfolio, it has to come from somewhere else.
  2. 02Emerging market stocks swing hard and currency moves add to the ride. This is one of the higher-volatility corners of equity investing.
  3. 03Cheap, not cheapest: VEXC runs the same ex-China EM idea at 0.07%. XCEM's edge is a decade of history, not the lowest fee on the shelf.

XCEM Holdings

As of Sep 22, 2026, 10:43 PM
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
—
Top-10 weight
38%
Largest holding
2330.TW14.8%

Sectors

  • Technology46.6%
  • Financials20.9%
  • Industrials9.3%
  • Materials6.1%
  • Communication3.5%
  • Consumer Discr.3.4%
  • Energy3.1%
  • Health Care2.4%
  • Cons. Staples2.1%
  • Utilities1.7%
  • Real Estate0.9%

Geography

  • Taiwan35.66%
  • South Korea24.28%
  • India14.11%
  • Brazil4.14%
  • South Africa3.45%
  • Saudi Arabia2.99%
  • United Arab Emirates2.59%
  • Mexico2.34%
  • Other countries (15)10.43%

Developed 0% · Emerging 100% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 32.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
0012330.TWTAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO LTD14.83%4,194,143$328M175
002005930.KSSAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD8.57%954,571$189M176
003000660.KSSK HYNIX INC3.47%56,652$77M184
004—NEW TAIWAN DOLLAR2.89%2,028,072,208$64M51
0052454.TWMEDIATEK INC2.00%280,284$44M162
006—TWD9999991.85%-1,299,773,880$41M5
0072308.TWDELTA ELECTRONICS INC1.15%431,324$25M154
0082317.TWHON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO LTD1.01%2,843,992$22M114
0093711.TWASE TECHNOLOGY HOLDING CO LTD0.93%980,177$20M115
010IHCINTERNATIONAL HOLDING CO PJSC0.87%193,668$19M4
011IBNICICI BANK LTD0.80%622,446$18M49
012HDBHDFC BANK LTD0.80%745,170$18M39
013RELIANCE.BORELIANCE INDUSTRIES LTD0.74%1,256,252$16M71
014402340.KSSK SQUARE CO LTD0.69%18,570$15M111
015SMHVANECK SEMICONDUCTOR ETF0.68%25,326$15M9

Showing 1–15 of 467 holdings

XCEM Performance

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

XCEM$14,999
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,723
Sep 22, 2025 to Sep 22, 2026. XCEM $14,999. SPY $11,723. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,050$12,536$16,023Sep 2025Mar 2026Sep 2026

Sep 22, 2025 – Sep 22, 2026

Returns run to the Sep 22, 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 XCEM. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodXCEM
Year to date+38.3%
1 month+4.8%
3 months−3.5%
1 year+50.0%
3 years+27.3%per year
5 years+12.8%per year
10 years+11.4%per year

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 XCEM
YearReturn barXCEM
2026 YTD+38.3%
2025+34.0%
2024+0.5%
2023+20.0%
2022−17.6%
2021+7.9%
2020+9.5%

XCEM in the news

XCEM 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 Sep 22, 2026.
2.35%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.25Last 12 months
Last payment
$1.25 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 9 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 15, 2017 $2.37; Dec 21, 2018 $0.77; Dec 20, 2019 $0.59; Dec 18, 2020 $0.49; Dec 20, 2021 $0.62; Dec 19, 2022 $0.62; Dec 18, 2023 $0.37; Dec 18, 2024 $0.82; Dec 18, 2025 $1.25. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 18, 2025Dec 26, 2025$1.25
Dec 18, 2024Dec 26, 2024$0.82
Dec 18, 2023Dec 26, 2023$0.37
Dec 19, 2022Dec 27, 2022$0.62
Dec 20, 2021Dec 27, 2021$0.62
Dec 18, 2020Dec 28, 2020$0.49
Dec 20, 2019Dec 26, 2019$0.59
Dec 21, 2018Dec 27, 2018$0.77
Dec 15, 2017Dec 29, 2017$2.37
Dec 23, 2016Dec 30, 2016$0.28
Dec 29, 2015Jan 12, 2016$0.51

XCEM Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
19.3%
Annualised · 36 months to Aug 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.
1.02
vs 3-month T-bills · to Aug 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.
−29.5%
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.
1.27
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.

XCEM Cost

Expense ratio0.16%
  • The middle half of Emerging Markets Stocks funds
  • Median 0.56%

2 of the 21 Emerging Markets Stocks funds charge less.

XCEM costs $16.00 a year on $10,000. The median Emerging Markets Stocks fund costs $56.00.