Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
EMXC vs VEA: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, EMXC returned +33.8% to VEA's +17.1%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $26.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF, and $231.6bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF.
Pair scorecard
VEA costs 0.22 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.7 points; VEA is 9.2 times larger.
| Measure | EMXC | VEA |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +33.8% | +17.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 11.3%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 4.4%, high on Aug 25, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets ex China Index | FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.25% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $25.3bn | $231.6bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 42.2% | 13.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 4, 2017 to Oct 23, 2026 · 481 weekly returnsEMXC returned slightly more: +122.9% to +111.8%. VEA swung slightly less: 17.5% to 19.2%. VEA fell less at its worst: −34.6% to −40.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | EMXC | VEA | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +122.9% | +111.8% | EMXC (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.1% | +8.4% | EMXC (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +80.5% | +61.6% | EMXC | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.2% | 17.5% | VEA (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 12.5% | VEA (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −40.7% | −34.6% | VEA | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.41 | 0.40 | EMXC (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.57 | 0.56 | EMXC (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.22 | 0.24 | VEA (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 481 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, EMXC and VEA hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
EMXC and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
EMXC and VEA do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. EMXC follows MSCI Emerging Markets ex China Index and VEA follows FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 9% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 EMXC returned +33.8% and VEA +17.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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EMXC
EMXC tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets ex China. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +33.8% with distributions reinvested, against +37.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets ex China Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.25% 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 696 positions, with the top ten at 42.2%. It sat 11.3% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VEA
VEA tracks an index of Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3,906 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, EMXC or VEA?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, EMXC returned +33.8% and VEA +17.1%.
- Which is cheaper, EMXC or VEA?
- VEA is cheaper, by 0.22 percentage points a year. That is about $22 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, EMXC against VEA, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emxc-vs-vea
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). EMXC against VEA. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emxc-vs-vea
[EMXC against VEA (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/emxc-vs-vea)
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