Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
AGG vs EEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, AGG returned −1.4% to EEM's +16.3%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $139.4bn for iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF and $29.1bn for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
AGG costs 0.69 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.7 points; AGG is 4.8 times larger.
| Measure | AGG | EEM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.4% | +16.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.4%, high on Aug 4, 2020 | 10.8%, high on Jun 22, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index | MSCI Emerging Markets Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.72% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $139.4bn | $29.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.2% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 3, 2003 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,203 weekly returnsEEM returned more: +508.1% to +97.2%. AGG swung less: 5.1% to 23.3%. AGG fell less at its worst: −18.2% to −62.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | AGG | EEM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +97.2% | +508.1% | EEM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.0% | +8.1% | EEM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −5.7% | +290.5% | EEM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 5.1% | 23.3% | AGG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 3.8% | 16.2% | AGG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −18.2% | −62.6% | AGG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.37 | EEM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.33 | 0.54 | EEM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.13 | AGG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,203 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, AGG and EEM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
AGG and EEM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AGG and EEM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. AGG follows Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index and EEM follows MSCI Emerging Markets Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 AGG returned −1.4% and EEM +16.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 17.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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AGG
AGG tracks an index of US aggregate bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. It sat 3.4% below its high of Aug 4, 2020 on Oct 28, 2026.
EEM
EEM tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.72% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,186 positions, with the top ten at 37.2%. It sat 10.8% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, AGG or EEM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AGG returned −1.4% and EEM +16.3%.
- Which is cheaper, AGG or EEM?
- AGG is cheaper, by 0.69 percentage points a year. That is about $69 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, AGG against EEM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-eem
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). AGG against EEM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-eem
[AGG against EEM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/agg-vs-eem)
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