Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EEM vs LQD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EEM returned +16.3% to LQD's −3.4%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $29.1bn for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and $30.6bn for iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF.
Pair scorecard
LQD costs 0.58 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 19.7 points; LQD is 1.1 times larger.
| Measure | EEM | LQD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +16.3% | −3.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 10.8%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 6.3%, high on Sep 22, 2021 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Index | Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.72% | 0.14% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $29.1bn | $30.6bn |
| 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
Apr 25, 2003 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,226 weekly returnsEEM returned more: +759.1% to +144.7%. LQD swung less: 8.4% to 23.3%. LQD fell less at its worst: −24.7% to −62.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EEM | LQD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +759.1% | +144.7% | EEM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.6% | +3.9% | EEM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +451.7% | −6.9% | EEM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.3% | 8.4% | LQD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.1% | 6.0% | LQD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −62.6% | −24.7% | LQD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.43 | 0.28 | EEM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.63 | 0.39 | EEM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.16 | LQD (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,226 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EEM and LQD 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
EEM and LQD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EEM and LQD do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EEM follows MSCI Emerging Markets Index and LQD follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade 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 EEM returned +16.3% and LQD −3.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 19.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
LQD
LQD tracks an index of US investment grade bonds. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.4% with distributions reinvested, against −1.2% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year. It sat 6.3% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EEM or LQD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EEM returned +16.3% and LQD −3.4%.
- Which is cheaper, EEM or LQD?
- LQD is cheaper, by 0.58 percentage points a year. That is about $58 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, EEM against LQD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-lqd
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EEM against LQD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-lqd
[EEM against LQD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/eem-vs-lqd)
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