GEM vs XCEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
GEM and XCEM hold 56% of their weight in the same names, and XCEM returned +43.8% over the year. Net assets: $1.8bn on Oct 8, 2026 for Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity ETF, and $2.1bn on Jun 30, 2026 for Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF.
XCEM costs 0.19 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.2 points.
| GEM | XCEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.16% |
| Net assets, GEM as of Oct 8, 2026 and XCEM as of Jun 30, 2026 | $1.8bn | $2.1bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +26.6% | +43.8% |
| What it tracks | Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Emerging Markets Equity Index | Beta Thematic Emerging Markets ex-China Index |
| Holdings in common | 56% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 36.9% | 37.4% |
| Below its high | 5.9%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | 6.4%, high on Jun 22, 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 XCEM hold 56% 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
56% in common
On the same fields
GEM and XCEM 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 XCEM
XCEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +43.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% 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 449 positions, with the top ten at 37.4%. It sat 6.4% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GEM or XCEM?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GEM returned +26.6% and XCEM +43.8%.
- Which is cheaper, GEM or XCEM?
- XCEM is cheaper, by 0.19 percentage points a year. That is about $19 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 XCEM, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gem-vs-xcem
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