IEMG vs SPEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
IEMG and SPEM hold 42% of their weight in the same names, and IEMG returned +25.3% over the year. Net assets: $160.2bn on Oct 9, 2026 for iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, and $17.5bn on Oct 8, 2026 for State Street SPDR Portfolio Emerging Markets ETF.
SPEM costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 11.6 points; IEMG is 9.1 times larger.
| IEMG | SPEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 8, 2026 | $158.8bn | $17.5bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +25.3% | +13.7% |
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (IMI) | S&P Emerging BMI Index ? |
| Holdings in common | 42% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 34.2% | 26.5% |
| Below its high | 5.3%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 8, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IEMG and SPEM hold 42% 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 Oct 8, 2026.
half
42% in common
On the same fields
IEMG and SPEM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IEMG in plain words
IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +25.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% 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 2,871 positions, with the top ten at 34.2%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
SPEM in plain words
SPEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. 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, IEMG or SPEM?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IEMG returned +25.3% and SPEM +13.7%.
- Which is cheaper, IEMG or SPEM?
- SPEM is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, IEMG against SPEM, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-spem
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). IEMG against SPEM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-spem
[IEMG against SPEM (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-spem)
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