Which returned more over the last year, EMB or IAU?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned −0.4% and IAU +2.7%.

Which is cheaper, EMB or IAU?

IAU is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

EMB vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees

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EMB is a bond index fund and IAU a commodity fund, and over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IAU returned +2.7% against −0.4%.

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Net assets on Oct 28, 2026: $13.2bn for iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF and $60.1bn for iShares Gold Trust.

EMB on its own →IAU on its own →

At a glance

−0.4%

EMB total return, 1 year

+2.7%

IAU total return, 1 year

0.39%

EMB expense ratio

0.25%

IAU expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IAU costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.1 points; IAU is 4.6 times larger.

EMB vs IAU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	EMB	IAU
Return
Measure	EMB	IAU
Total return, 1 year	−0.4%	+2.7%
Drawdown
Measure	EMB	IAU
Below its high	3.5%, high on Jun 29, 2026	24.6%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	EMB	IAU
What it tracks	J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index	Gold
Cost and size
Measure	EMB	IAU
Expense ratio	0.39%	0.25%
Net assets	$13.2bn	$60.1bn
Holdings
Measure	EMB	IAU
Holdings in common	not published

Method

Side by side

EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF IAU iShares Gold Trust

Where it sits Bond ETF Commodity ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Holds gold

Total return, 1 year −0.4% +2.7%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +2.5% (GLD)

Gap to its benchmark not measured +0.2 pts vs GLD

Expense ratio 0.39% 0.25%

Holdings 622 not counted

Net assets $13.2bn $60.1bn

EMB and IAU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

EMB

EMB tracks the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −0.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year. It sat 3.5% below its high of Jun 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

IAU

Its expense ratio is 0.25% a year, for the three months to Jun 30, 2026, as its 10-Q states.

IAU holds gold. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +2.5% for its benchmark, the price of gold. It sat 24.6% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EMB or IAU?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned −0.4% and IAU +2.7%.
Which is cheaper, EMB or IAU?: IAU is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's own filings.

Other comparisons

EMB vs GLDM EMB vs GLD EMB vs SLV EMB vs SIVR IAU vs IGIB IAU vs VTIP IAU vs USHY IAU vs SHY

Where to next

EMB on its own →IAU on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →EMB dividend history →EMB holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

EMB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

EMB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for EMB ↗

iShares page for IAU ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, EMB against IAU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-iau

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.