VWO vs XCEM: Differences, Returns & Fees
VWO and XCEM hold 47% of their weight in the same names, and XCEM returned +43.8% over the year. Net assets: $125.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF, and $2.1bn on Jun 30, 2026 for Columbia EM Core ex-China ETF.
VWO costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 31.7 points.
| VWO | XCEM | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.16% |
| Net assets, VWO as of Sep 30, 2026 and XCEM as of Jun 30, 2026 | $125.4bn | $2.1bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +12.1% | +43.8% |
| What it tracks | FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index | Beta Thematic Emerging Markets ex-China Index |
| Holdings in common | 47% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 28.9% | 37.4% |
| Below its high | 6.4%, high on Jun 22, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VWO and XCEM hold 47% 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 Jun 30, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
47% in common
On the same fields
VWO and XCEM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VWO in plain words
VWO tracks an index of Emerging markets. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +12.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Aug 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 6,356 positions, with the top ten at 28.9%.
XCEM in plain words
XCEM tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +43.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. 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, VWO or XCEM?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VWO returned +12.1% and XCEM +43.8%.
- Which is cheaper, VWO or XCEM?
- VWO is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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, VWO against XCEM, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xcem
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). VWO against XCEM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xcem
[VWO against XCEM (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vwo-vs-xcem)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.