GEM vs SPEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
GEM and SPEM hold 51% of their weight in the same names, and GEM returned +26.6% over the year. Net assets on Oct 8, 2026: $1.8bn for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity ETF and $17.5bn for State Street SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF.
SPEM costs 0.28 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 12.9 points; SPEM is 10.0 times larger.
| GEM | SPEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026 | $1.8bn | $17.5bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.6% | +13.7% |
| What it tracks | Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity Index | S&P Emerging BMI Index ? |
| Holdings in common | 51% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 36.9% | 26.5% |
| Below its high | 5.9%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Oct 8, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GEM and SPEM hold 51% 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 Oct 8, 2026.
half
51% in common
On the same fields
GEM and SPEM 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 SPEM
SPEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 8, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 2,746 positions, with the top ten at 26.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GEM or SPEM?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GEM returned +26.6% and SPEM +13.7%.
- Which is cheaper, GEM or SPEM?
- SPEM is cheaper, by 0.28 percentage points a year. That is about $28 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.
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ETFIQ, GEM against SPEM, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-spem
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). GEM against SPEM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-spem
[GEM against SPEM (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-spem)
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