EMB vs EMBD: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

EMBANasdaq

Global X Emerging Markets Bond ETF

EMBDBNYSE Arca

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

EMB0.39%EMBD0.39%

Avg volume · 30D

EMB 234.7×the volume

EMB6.87MEMBD29.3K

5Y return · a year

EMBD +1.2pt

EMB+1.5%EMBD+2.7%

EMB vs EMBD Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+7.8%EMB+14.0%EMBD

Expense ratio: EMB 0.39%; EMBD 0.39%
Fund size: EMB $13.6B; EMBD $250M
1Y total return: EMB +0.3%; EMBD +0.6%, better
Yield (12M): EMB 5.36%; EMBD 5.92%, better
Holdings: EMB 621; EMBD 223
Avg volume (30D): EMB 6.87M sh, better; EMBD 29.3K sh
NAV per share: EMB $91.92; EMBD $22.86
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for EMB, EMBD, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	EMB	EMBD
Cost30% weight	B59	B59
Mission25% weight	A100Higher	A82
Risk15% weight	C46	B64Higher
Tradability15% weight	A91Higher	C54
Holdings10% weight	A85Higher	B65
Durability5% weight	A94Higher	B56

Rank among Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. EMB and EMBD are both graded against the same 17 Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar)⁠

Category · 17 funds

See all 17 ›

EMB ranks 3rd and EMBD 6th of 17 funds in the Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) Category.

Rank 1AVWOBVanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETFScore 85
Rank 2AXEMDBondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETFScore 83
Rank 3AEMBiShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETFScore 76
Rank 3AEMHCState Street SPDR Bloomberg Emerging Markets USD Bond ETFScore 76
Rank 5ABEMBiShares J.P. Morgan Broad USD Emerging Markets Bond ETFScore 75
Rank 6BEMBDGlobal X Emerging Markets Bond ETFScore 65
Rank 7BGEMDGoldman Sachs Access Emerging Markets USD Bond ETFScore 64

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

EMBAiShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

EMBDBGlobal X Emerging Markets Bond ETF

In short

EMB Emerging markets without the currency guesswork: EMB owns dollar-denominated EM debt, tracking J.P. Morgan's index since 2007. Roughly 600 bonds, income paid monthly.

EMBD Most emerging-market bond ETFs track an index of government debt. EMBD is run by an active team that can also buy corporate issuers and local-currency paper, and it charges less than the group's typical fund.

Stated mandate

EMB The fund seeks to follow an index made up of U.S.-dollar-denominated bonds issued in emerging markets.

EMBD The fund is actively managed and seeks total return from income and capital appreciation by investing in emerging-market debt.

Why people hold it

EMB Dollar-denominated by mandate. The bonds are issued in USD, so local currency moves don't pass straight through to what the fund collects.ishares.com
About 600 bonds across emerging market borrowers, one of the broadest baskets in its peer group.
A multi-billion-dollar fund running since 2007 and one of the most actively traded ways to get this exposure, which tends to show up as tighter spreads at retail size.
Distributions land monthly rather than quarterly.

EMBD Active management at index-fund pricing: 0.39% a year, below the 0.50% typical for the group and level with its cheapest rival, JPMB.
Roams wider than the sovereign-only crowd (PCY, JPMB): both government and corporate EM debt, mostly in US dollars, with local currency allowed.globalxetfs.com
A couple hundred bonds, sub-advised by Mirae Asset Global Investments (USA), with income paid out monthly.globalxetfs.com

Worth knowing

EMB Costs 0.39% a year, above its cohort's 0.19% median and well above plain EM stock index funds like VWO and SCHE at 0.06%.
It's a bond fund sitting in a mostly-stock peer group. What drives it is emerging market credit and interest rates, not company earnings.
The USD-only screen skips local-currency emerging market government debt, so that slice of the market, and its currency swings, is left out.ishares.com

EMBD Thinly traded next to the category's giants, so spreads can be wider and big orders can move the price.
No index to check the managers against. Results ride on their country and credit calls.globalxetfs.com
EM debt carries default risk, and any local-currency bonds add a currency swing on top.globalxetfs.com

Full EMB profile⁠

Full EMBD profile⁠

EMB vs EMBD Holdings

As of Oct 13, 2026

How EMB and EMBD differ

No overlap figure

Two bond funds rarely hold the same issues.

Level by level

Sector4 Sectors0.0%
Countryby domicile80.5%
Asset classFixed Income100%

Sector

Sector weights in EMB and EMBD, widest gap first
Sector	More in EMBMore in EMBD	EMB	EMBD
Sovereign	EMB +87.3 points	87.3%	0.0%
Government	EMBD +75.8 points	0.0%	75.8%
Corporate	EMBD +24.2 points	0.0%	24.2%
Agency	EMB +12.7 points	12.7%	0.0%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in EMB and EMBD, widest gap first
Country	More in EMBMore in EMBD	EMB	EMBD
Saudi Arabia	EMB +10.1 points	55.7%	45.6%
United States	EMBD +6.4 points	0.0%	6.4%
Mexico	EMBD +5.1 points	7.0%	12.1%
China	EMB +3.5 points	3.5%	0.0%
Chile	EMBD +3.1 points	3.8%	6.9%
Indonesia	EMB +2.5 points	4.8%	2.3%
Poland	EMB +1.7 points	4.1%	2.4%
Luxembourg	EMBD +1.5 points	0.0%	1.5%
Other countries (10)	EMBD +1.6 points	21.2%	22.8%

Outside the US: EMB 0% developed, 100% emerging. EMBD 2% developed, 98% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

EMB6.1%
EMBD14.3%

Securities held

EMB618
EMBD222

Asset class

EMB: Fixed Income
EMBD: Fixed Income

Holdings

Two bond funds rarely hold the same issues, so this page lists no shared Holdings. EMB holds 618 securities, EMBD 222.

All 621 EMB holdings⁠All 224 EMBD holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

EMB vs EMBD Cost

Same expense ratio

$7,898

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

EMB 0.39%
$7,898
EMBD 0.39%
$7,898

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

EMB 0.39%
EMBD 0.39%

Year by year

Year	EMB	EMBD
10	$705	$705
20	$2,725	$2,725
30	$7,898	$7,898

Expense ratio

0.39%EMB
0.39%EMBD

EMB0.39%EMBD0.39%

0.15%0.85%

Middle half of Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) funds
Median 0.40%

EMB 6th cheapest of 17 funds

EMBD 6th cheapest of 17 funds

EMB vs EMBD Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): EMB 5.36%; EMBD 5.92%, better
Payout (12M): EMB $4.93; EMBD $1.36
Last payment: EMB $0.44; EMBD $0.11
Ex-dividend: EMB Oct 1, 2026; EMBD Oct 1, 2026
Paid on: EMB Oct 6, 2026; EMBD Oct 6, 2026
Frequency: EMB Monthly; EMBD Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

EMBMonthly · 46 paymentsAll EMB payments⁠

EMBDMonthly · 45 paymentsAll EMBD payments⁠

EMB vs EMBD Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

EMB
EMBD

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: EMB 7.3%EMBD 6.4%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: EMB 0.73EMBD 0.80, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: EMB −27.5%EMBD −23.2%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: EMB 1.08EMBD 0.94; Market = 1

EMB and EMBD in the news

All news⁠

New ETFs
T. Rowe Price's 0.45% fund undercuts VanEck's full emerging-markets bond mix
Oct 5, 2026EMBEMBD
New ETFs
BNY Mellon's new emerging-market debt ETF is active, unconstrained, and not a cheaper EMB
Sep 14, 2026EMBEMBD
Deep Dive
Korea's 3.9% drop split two kinds of emerging-markets fund
Sep 20, 2026EMB
News
Bolivia lifts diesel 83% a day after Congress clears $1.9 billion IMF loan
Sep 19, 2026EMB
News
Brazil cuts the Selic to 13.75% as the Fed hikes, narrowing the rate gap
Sep 17, 2026EMB
News
Vietnam weighs first dollar bond since 2014 as one lender pitches a coupon near 7%
Sep 15, 2026EMB

Popular comparisons

EMBAvsVWOBA
iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF · Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.39% · 0.15%
Category
EMBDBvsVWOBA
Global X Emerging Markets Bond ETF · Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.39% · 0.15%
Category
EMBAvsXEMDA
iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF · BondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.39% · 0.29%
Category
EMBDBvsXEMDA
Global X Emerging Markets Bond ETF · BondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.39% · 0.29%
Category
EMBAvsEMHCA
iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF · State Street SPDR Bloomberg Emerging Markets USD Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.39% · 0.23%
Category
EMBDBvsEMHCA
Global X Emerging Markets Bond ETF · State Street SPDR Bloomberg Emerging Markets USD Bond ETF
Expense ratio
0.39% · 0.23%
Category

EMB vs EMBD

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it