Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EMB vs SPYD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EMB returned −0.4% to SPYD's +15.3%; 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 $7.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF.
Pair scorecard
SPYD costs 0.32 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 15.7 points; EMB is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | EMB | SPYD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −0.4% | +15.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.5%, high on Jun 29, 2026 | 4.1%, high on Aug 24, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index | S&P 500 High Dividend Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.39% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $13.2bn | $7.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 99% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 16.1% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 30, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 573 weekly returnsSPYD returned more: +168.7% to +43.4%. EMB swung less: 9.7% to 19.6%. EMB fell less at its worst: −27.9% to −43.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EMB | SPYD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +43.4% | +168.7% | SPYD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +9.4% | SPYD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −15.5% | +61.3% | SPYD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 9.7% | 19.6% | EMB | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 7.4% | 13.8% | EMB | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −27.9% | −43.0% | EMB | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.15 | 0.44 | SPYD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.19 | 0.62 | SPYD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.22 | SPYD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 573 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EMB and SPYD 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 SPYD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EMB and SPYD do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EMB follows J.P. Morgan EMBI Global Core Index and SPYD follows S&P 500 High Dividend 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 SPYD +15.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 15.7 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.
SPYD
SPYD tracks the S&P 500 High Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 79 positions, with the top ten at 16.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Aug 24, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EMB or SPYD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned −0.4% and SPYD +15.3%.
- Which is cheaper, EMB or SPYD?
- SPYD is cheaper, by 0.32 percentage points a year. That is about $32 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, EMB against SPYD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-spyd
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EMB against SPYD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-spyd
[EMB against SPYD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-spyd)
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