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

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned +2.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, EMB or XLB?

EMB charges 0.39% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB 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 XLB: how they differ

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

iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, EMB and XLB 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 XLB
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 0.84%	LINDE PLC 12.91%
EAGLE FUNDING LUXCO SARL RegS 0.50%	NEWMONT CORP 8.14%
UKRAINE (REPUBLIC OF) C BONDS RegS 0.42%	FREEPORT MCMORAN INC 6.19%
ECUADOR REPUBLIC OF (GOVERNMENT) RegS 0.34%	CORTEVA INC 5.11%
GHANA (REPUBLIC OF) DISCO RegS 0.31%	AIR PRODUCTS + CHEMICALS INC 4.78%
CHINA LIFE INSURANCE OVERSEAS CO L RegS 0.28%	ECOLAB INC 4.75%
REPUBLIC OF HUNGARY 0.27%	SHERWIN WILLIAMS CO/THE 4.70%
ANGOLA (REPUBLIC OF) RegS 0.26%	NUCOR CORP 4.59%

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 XLB on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	EMB iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF	XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	State Street
What it is	J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond	Materials
Total return, 1 year	+2.8%	+12.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−14.7 pts	−5.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.39%	0.08%
Holdings	612	27

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.

XLB in plain words

XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 27 positions, with the top ten at 59.4%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, EMB or XLB?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMB returned +2.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so XLB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, EMB or XLB?: EMB charges 0.39% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so XLB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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 XLB, 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 XLB, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emb-vs-xlb Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources