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EMB vs VWOB

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

EMBANasdaq

Vanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF

VWOBANasdaq

Overlap

No data

Expense ratio

VWOB −0.24pt a year

EMB0.39%VWOB0.15%

Avg volume · 30D

EMB 12.0×the volume

EMB6.87MVWOB573K

10Y return · a year

VWOB +0.2pt

EMB+2.6%VWOB+2.8%

EMB vs VWOB Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+7.8%EMB+8.4%VWOB

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. EMB +7.8%. VWOB +8.4%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%−10%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
EMB 0.39%
VWOB 0.15%, better
Fund size
EMB $13.6B
VWOB $6.6B
1Y total return
EMB +0.3%, better
VWOB −0.3%
Yield (12M)
EMB 5.36%
VWOB 6.07%, better
Holdings
EMB 621
VWOB 941
Avg volume (30D)
EMB 6.87M sh, better
VWOB 573K sh
NAV per share
EMB $91.92
VWOB $63.97
52W range

ETF.net Grade

EMB: Cost 59, Risk 46, Mission 100, Tradability 91, Holdings 85, Durability 94. VWOB: Cost 97, Risk 46, Mission 100, Tradability 81, Holdings 82, Durability 95.
Pillar letters and Scores for EMB, VWOB, with each pillar’s weight
PillarEMBVWOB
Cost30% weightB59A97Higher
Mission25% weightA100A100
Risk15% weightC46C46
Tradability15% weightA91HigherA81
Holdings10% weightA85HigherA82
Durability5% weightA94A95Higher

Rank among Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. EMB and VWOB 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 ›

VWOB ranks 1st and EMB 3rd of 17 funds in the Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) Category.

  1. Rank 1AVWOBVanguard Emerging Markets Government Bond ETFScore 85
  2. Rank 2AXEMDBondBloxx JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets 1-10 Year Bond ETFScore 83
  3. Rank 3AEMBiShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETFScore 76
  4. Rank 3AEMHCState Street SPDR Bloomberg Emerging Markets USD Bond ETFScore 76

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

EMBAiShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

VWOBAVanguard Emerging Markets Government 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.

VWOB Emerging-market government debt, Vanguard-style: about 200 dollar bonds from sovereigns and state-backed borrowers, indexed and capped so no one issuer dominates, for 0.15% a year. Income lands monthly.

Stated mandate

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

VWOB The Fund seeks to track an index of U.S. dollar-denominated bonds issued by governments and government-related issuers in emerging-market countries.

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.
  • VWOB 0.15% a year, versus 0.39% on the category's flagship, EMB. In emerging-market debt, where fees run rich, that gap is the whole pitch.ishares.com
  • Dollar-denominated only. Local-law bonds are excluded, so a slide in the peso or the lira doesn't hit these prices directly. Credit risk, not currency risk.bbhub.io
  • About 200 bonds spread across sovereign and government-related issuers, with index caps that keep any one borrower from swallowing the fund.bbhub.io
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, with monthly distributions.

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
  • VWOB Cheap for emerging-market debt, rich next to the plain Treasury funds it sits beside: VGIT and VCSH charge 0.03%.
  • The risk is sovereign credit. Downgrades, defaults and restructurings are live possibilities here in a way they aren't with US Treasuries.vanguard.com
  • Vanguard samples the index rather than buying every bond, so day-to-day results can drift from the benchmark more than in a Treasury fund.vanguard.com

Full EMB profile⁠

Full VWOB profile⁠

EMB vs VWOB 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 VWOB Cost

Overpaying EMB vs VWOB

$4,761

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

  • EMB 0.39%

    $7,898

  • VWOB 0.15%

    $3,137

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • EMB 0.39%
  • VWOB 0.15%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530EMB $7,898VWOB $3,137

Year by year

YearEMBVWOBOverpaying
10$705$274$431
20$2,725$1,071$1,654
30$7,898$3,137$4,761

Expense ratio

  • 0.39%EMB
  • 0.15%VWOB, cheaper
  • Middle half of Emerging Markets Bonds (US Dollar) funds
  • Median 0.40%

VWOB cheapest of 17 funds

EMB 6th cheapest of 17 funds

EMB vs VWOB Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
EMB 5.36%
VWOB 6.07%, better
Payout (12M)
EMB $4.93
VWOB $3.88
Last payment
EMB $0.44
VWOB $0.33
Ex-dividend
EMB Oct 1, 2026
VWOB Oct 1, 2026
Paid on
EMB Oct 6, 2026
VWOB Oct 5, 2026
Frequency
EMB Monthly
VWOB Monthly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

EMBMonthly · 46 paymentsAll EMB payments⁠
One bar per payment. 46 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Feb 1, 2023 $0.31; Mar 1, 2023 $0.38; Apr 3, 2023 $0.36; May 1, 2023 $0.35; Jun 1, 2023 $0.35; Jul 3, 2023 $0.35; Aug 1, 2023 $0.35; Sep 1, 2023 $0.36; Oct 2, 2023 $0.35; Nov 1, 2023 $0.36; Dec 1, 2023 $0.33; Dec 14, 2023 $0.36; Feb 1, 2024 $0.37; Mar 1, 2024 $0.39; Apr 1, 2024 $0.37; May 1, 2024 $0.36; Jun 3, 2024 $0.36; Jul 1, 2024 $0.38; Aug 1, 2024 $0.39; Sep 3, 2024 $0.37; Oct 1, 2024 $0.39; Nov 1, 2024 $0.42; Dec 2, 2024 $0.39; Dec 18, 2024 $0.43; Dec 30, 2024 $0.25; Feb 3, 2025 $0.44; Mar 3, 2025 $0.39; Apr 1, 2025 $0.40; May 1, 2025 $0.40; Jun 2, 2025 $0.41; Jul 1, 2025 $0.38; Aug 1, 2025 $0.41; Sep 2, 2025 $0.40; Oct 1, 2025 $0.39; Nov 3, 2025 $0.42; Dec 1, 2025 $0.37; Dec 19, 2025 $0.38; Feb 2, 2026 $0.41; Mar 2, 2026 $0.40; Apr 1, 2026 $0.46; May 1, 2026 $0.41; Jun 1, 2026 $0.41; Jul 1, 2026 $0.40; Aug 3, 2026 $0.41; Sep 1, 2026 $0.41; Oct 1, 2026 $0.44. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD
VWOBMonthly · 45 paymentsAll VWOB payments⁠
One bar per payment. 45 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Feb 1, 2023 $0.28; Mar 1, 2023 $0.28; Apr 3, 2023 $0.29; May 1, 2023 $0.29; Jun 1, 2023 $0.29; Jul 3, 2023 $0.29; Aug 1, 2023 $0.30; Sep 1, 2023 $0.30; Oct 2, 2023 $0.30; Nov 1, 2023 $0.30; Dec 1, 2023 $0.28; Dec 22, 2023 $0.30; Feb 1, 2024 $0.28; Mar 1, 2024 $0.32; Apr 1, 2024 $0.32; May 1, 2024 $0.31; Jun 3, 2024 $0.32; Jul 1, 2024 $0.32; Aug 1, 2024 $0.34; Sep 3, 2024 $0.32; Oct 1, 2024 $0.32; Nov 1, 2024 $0.35; Dec 2, 2024 $0.33; Dec 24, 2024 $0.33; Feb 3, 2025 $0.38; Mar 3, 2025 $0.35; Apr 1, 2025 $0.34; May 1, 2025 $0.32; Jun 2, 2025 $0.32; Jul 1, 2025 $0.32; Aug 1, 2025 $0.39; Sep 2, 2025 $0.31; Oct 1, 2025 $0.31; Nov 3, 2025 $0.32; Dec 1, 2025 $0.32; Dec 18, 2025 $0.32; Feb 2, 2026 $0.34; Mar 2, 2026 $0.32; Apr 1, 2026 $0.33; May 1, 2026 $0.32; Jun 1, 2026 $0.32; Jul 1, 2026 $0.31; Aug 3, 2026 $0.35; Sep 1, 2026 $0.32; Oct 1, 2026 $0.33. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.5020232026YTD

EMB vs VWOB Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • EMB
  • VWOB
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: EMB −27.5% · Oct 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%−20%−15%−10%−5%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
EMB 7.3%VWOB 7.3%Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
EMB 0.73, betterVWOB 0.70
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
EMB −27.5%VWOB −26.2%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
EMB 1.08VWOB 1.11

EMB and VWOB in the news

All news⁠

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