Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IEMG vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IEMG returned +15.3% to SPY's +13.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $150.4bn for iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
Pair scorecard
Both cost 0.09% a year; their one-year returns differ by 1.7 points; SPY is 5.4 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | IEMG | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.3% | +13.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 10.1%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (IMI) | S&P 500 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $150.4bn | $814.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 32.7% | 38.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 729 weekly returnsEach against its own benchmark: IEMG against EEM, Nov 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026; SPY against VOO, Sep 17, 2010 to Oct 23, 2026.
SPY returned more: +583.1% to +120.7%. SPY swung less: 15.8% to 18.2%. SPY fell less at its worst: −31.8% to −37.1%.
Full scorecard
19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IEMG | SPY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +120.7% | +583.1% | SPY | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.8% | +14.7% | SPY | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +56.0% | +436.9% | SPY | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.2% | 15.8% | SPY | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.0% | 10.9% | SPY | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −37.1% | −31.8% | SPY | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Upside capture | 94.6% | 99.8% | Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose. | |
| Downside capture | 97.1% | 100.0% | Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better. | |
| Beta | 0.96 | 1.00 | Not an edge | How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves. |
| R squared | 1.00 | 1.00 | Not an edge | Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.30 | 0.83 | SPY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.42 | 1.21 | SPY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Treynor | 0.057 | 0.133 | Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta. | |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.46 | SPY | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
| Against the benchmark | ||||
| Benchmark | EEM | VOO | The ETF each fund is measured against. | |
| Alpha | +0.7% a year | −0.1% a year | SPY not significant | Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts. |
| Alpha t-stat | 2.17 | −0.51 | Not an edge | How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance. |
| Alpha range | +0.1% to +1.4% | −0.3% to +0.1% | SPY includes zero | The 95% range for the yearly alpha. |
| Information ratio | 0.38 | −0.15 | Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error. | |
| Tracking error | 1.4% | 0.4% | Not an edge | How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 729 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IEMG and SPY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IEMG and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IEMG and SPY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IEMG follows MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index (IMI) and SPY follows S&P 500 Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- Number of holdings. IEMG holds 2,857 positions and SPY holds 504.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IEMG
IEMG tracks the MSCI Emerging Markets. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.3% with distributions reinvested, against +16.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% 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 2,857 positions, with the top ten at 32.7%. It sat 10.1% below its high of Jun 22, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
Questions people ask
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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 SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-spy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IEMG against SPY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-spy
[IEMG against SPY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iemg-vs-spy)
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