GEM vs JHEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
GEM and JHEM hold 61% of their weight in the same names. Net assets: $1.8bn on Oct 8, 2026 for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity ETF, and $1.0bn on Jun 30, 2026 for John Hancock Multifactor Emerging Markets ETF.
GEM costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points.
| GEM | JHEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.49% |
| Net assets, GEM as of Oct 8, 2026 and JHEM as of Jun 30, 2026 | $1.8bn | $1.0bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.6% | +27.1% |
| What it tracks | Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity Index | John Hancock Dimensional Emerging Markets Index |
| Holdings in common | 61% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 36.9% | 28.2% |
| Below its high | 5.9%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 4.8%, high on Jun 18, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GEM and JHEM hold 61% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
half
61% in common
On the same fields
GEM and JHEM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
About GEM
GEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +26.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 743 positions, with the top ten at 36.9%. It sat 5.9% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
About JHEM
JHEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +27.1% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 953 positions, with the top ten at 28.2%. It sat 4.8% below its high of Jun 18, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GEM or JHEM?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GEM returned +26.6% and JHEM +27.1%.
- Which is cheaper, GEM or JHEM?
- GEM is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, GEM against JHEM, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-jhem
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). GEM against JHEM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-jhem
[GEM against JHEM (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-jhem)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.