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Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

AGG vs EMB: how they differ

AGG and EMB are both bond index funds, and over the year EMB returned more, +2.8% against −0.7%.

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF.

AGG and EMB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AGG
iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF
EMB
iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesiShares
What it isUS aggregate bondsJ.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond
Total return, 1 year−0.7%+2.8%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500−18.2 pts−14.7 pts
Expense ratio0.03%0.39%
Holdingsnot filed681

AGG in plain words

AGG is a bond fund tracking the US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −0.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.7% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Sep 11, 2026.

EMB in plain words

EMB is a bond fund tracking the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AGG or EMB?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −0.7% and EMB returned +2.8%, so EMB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, AGG or EMB?
AGG charges 0.03% a year and EMB charges 0.39%, so AGG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

AGG against EMB, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, AGG against EMB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/AGG-EMB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources