Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EMB vs SDY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EMB returned −0.4% to SDY's +16.5%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $13.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF, and $21.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF.
Pair scorecard
SDY costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.9 points; SDY is 1.7 times larger.
| Measure | EMB | SDY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −0.4% | +16.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.5%, high on Jun 29, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index | S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.39% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $13.2bn | $21.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 84% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 28, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 982 weekly returnsSDY returned more: +453.6% to +126.2%. EMB swung less: 11.3% to 18.1%. EMB fell less at its worst: −32.0% to −48.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EMB | SDY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +126.2% | +453.6% | SDY | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.4% | +9.5% | SDY | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −9.4% | +186.1% | SDY | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 11.3% | 18.1% | EMB | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 8.4% | 12.6% | EMB | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −32.0% | −48.5% | EMB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.31 | 0.51 | SDY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.42 | 0.73 | SDY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.20 | SDY | 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 SDY 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
EMB and SDY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EMB and SDY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EMB follows J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index and SDY follows S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats 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 EMB returned −0.4% and SDY +16.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
SDY
SDY tracks the S&P Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 156 positions, with the top ten at 20.4%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EMB or SDY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned −0.4% and SDY +16.5%.
- Which is cheaper, EMB or SDY?
- SDY is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, EMB against SDY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-sdy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EMB against SDY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-sdy
[EMB against SDY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-sdy)
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