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

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned +2.8% and XBI returned +64.0%, so XBI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EMB or XBI?

EMB charges 0.39% a year and XBI charges 0.35%, so XBI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

EMB vs XBI: how they differ

EMB and XBI hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XBI returned more over the year.

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF and State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EMB and XBI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in EMB	Only in XBI
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 0.84%	MODERNA INC 2.87%
EAGLE FUNDING LUXCO SARL RegS 0.50%	TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP 1.81%
UKRAINE (REPUBLIC OF) C BONDS RegS 0.42%	HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC 1.47%
ECUADOR REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 0.34%	NATERA INC 1.46%
GHANA (REPUBLIC OF) DISCO RegS 0.31%	KYMERA THERAPEUTICS INC 1.45%
CHINA LIFE INSURANCE OVERSEAS CO L RegS 0.28%	TRAVERE THERAPEUTICS INC 1.40%
REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY 0.27%	ROIVANT SCIENCES LTD 1.39%
ANGOLA (REPUBLIC OF) RegS 0.26%	ORUKA THERAPEUTICS INC 1.38%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.

EMB and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF	XBI State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Biotech ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	State Street
What it is	J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond	SPDR S&P Biotech
Total return, 1 year	+2.8%	+64.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−14.7 pts	+46.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.39%	0.35%
Holdings	612	154

EMB in plain words

EMB is a bond fund tracking the J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year.

XBI in plain words

XBI is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR S&P Biotech. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +64.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 8% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 154 positions, with the top ten at 15.9%. It sat 9.6% below its high of Feb 8, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EMB or XBI?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned +2.8% and XBI returned +64.0%, so XBI returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EMB or XBI?: EMB charges 0.39% a year and XBI charges 0.35%, so XBI is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where to next

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

EMB against XBI, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, EMB against XBI, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-xbi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources