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

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned −0.4% and PFF −4.2%.

Which is cheaper, EMB or PFF?

EMB is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

EMB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EMB returned −0.4% to PFF's −4.2%, and EMB charges 0.39% to PFF's 0.45%.

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Net assets: $13.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF, and $11.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF.

EMB on its own →PFF on its own →

At a glance

−0.4%

EMB total return, 1 year

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

0.39%

EMB expense ratio

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

EMB costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.8 points; EMB is 1.1 times larger.

EMB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	EMB	PFF
Return
Measure	EMB	PFF
Total return, 1 year	−0.4%	−4.2%
Drawdown
Measure	EMB	PFF
Below its high	3.5%, high on Jun 29, 2026	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	EMB	PFF
What it tracks	J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	EMB	PFF
Expense ratio	0.39%	0.45%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$13.2bn	$11.8bn
Holdings
Measure	EMB	PFF
Holdings in common	0%
In the S&P 500, by weight		0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund		22.7%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Dec 28, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 982 weekly returns

EMB PFF

Return

Total return edge EMB +126.2% +105.4%

Annualized edge EMB +4.4% +3.9%

Price return edge EMB −9.4% −36.1%

Risk

Volatility edge EMB 11.3% 21.0%

Max drawdown edge EMB −32.0% −64.3%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge EMB 0.31 0.22

Sortino edge EMB 0.42 0.32

Calmar edge EMB 0.14 0.06

Reading

EMB returned more: +126.2% to +105.4%. EMB swung less: 11.3% to 21.0%. EMB fell less at its worst: −32.0% to −64.3%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: EMB vs PFF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	EMB	PFF	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+126.2%	+105.4%	EMB	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+4.4%	+3.9%	EMB	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−9.4%	−36.1%	EMB	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	11.3%	21.0%	EMB	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	8.4%	14.1%	EMB	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−32.0%	−64.3%	EMB	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.31	0.22	EMB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.42	0.32	EMB	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.14	0.06	EMB	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 982 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, EMB and PFF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first EMB PFF

Only in one fund ↓

Only in EMB

Argentina Republic Government International Bonds, due Jul 9, 2035 1.21%

Ecuador Government International Bonds, due Jul 31, 2035 0.78%

Argentina Republic Government International Bonds, due Jan 9, 2038 0.70%

Argentina Republic Government International Bonds, due Jul 9, 2030 0.65%

Argentina Republic Government International Bonds, due Jul 9, 2041 0.57%

Ghana Government International Bonds, due Jul 3, 2035 0.55%

Uruguay Government International Bonds, due Jun 18, 2050 0.51%

Eagle Funding Luxco Sarl, due Aug 17, 2030 0.50%

Only in PFF

BOEING COMPANY (THE) 6% SER A DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH INT MANDATORY CONV PFD 3.93%

STRATEGY INC VARIABLE RATE SERIES A PERPETUAL STRETCH PREFERRED STOCK 2.95%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 7.5% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE CLASS A PREFERRED STOCK, SERIES L 2.33%

ORACLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/2,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 6.50% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.28%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 7.625% SERIES C MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.76%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP 7.25% NON-CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK SERIES L 1.45%

CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII FIXED/FLOAT TRUST PREFERRED SECURITIES 1.31%

ALBEMARLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/20TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.25% SERIES A MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.29%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer iShares iShares

What it is Tracks the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities

Total return, 1 year −0.4% −4.2%

Its benchmark over the same days not measured +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark not measured −17.8 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.39% 0.45%

Holdings 622 453

Net assets, EMB as of Oct 28, 2026 and PFF as of Oct 27, 2026 $13.2bn $11.8bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-5BE28B207A

EMB and PFF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. EMB follows J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index and PFF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index.
Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EMB returned −0.4% and PFF −4.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.8 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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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.

PFF

PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% 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 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EMB or PFF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned −0.4% and PFF −4.2%.
Which is cheaper, EMB or PFF?: EMB is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

EMB vs TIP EMB vs MINT EMB vs SCHP EMB vs IEI PFF vs VTIP PFF vs USHY PFF vs SHY FPE vs PFF

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

EMB and PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

EMB prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for EMB ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

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

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